


Ghosts That We Knew

by arcanecadenza



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Multi, Muriel Route (The Arcana), Novelization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:54:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29063163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanecadenza/pseuds/arcanecadenza
Summary: Cadenza is not a fighter.Her hands are meant for healing, for music... not to do harm unto others. And for the past three years of her life that she can remember, she has never once had to raise her fists.But when Vesuvia is threatened by Count Lucio, the very man whose murder she had been charged with solving by Countess Nadia Satrinava, it becomes very clear, very quickly to Cadenza that she can no longer be passive.Alongside Muriel—a mysterious man who seems to know more about her than he lets on—and Morga Eirsdottir—Lucio's mother who is determined to put an end to his reign of terror—Cadenza must learn that if she's not willing to fight... she must at least be willing to stand up to protect those she cares about.
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana), Asra/Julian Devorak/Nadia
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	1. The Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> A novelization of Muriel's route where both he and Cadenza, the Apprentice, get to be Rude™.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An encounter with a wolf in her shop leads Cadenza into the forest… and right to an unfamiliar man who needs help but is loath to accept it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning(s): blood.

It was still early morning when Cadenza set out from the Palace, dew hanging heavy in the air and glinting like suspended crystals. Faust had slithered off somewhere before she woke, leaving her to make the trek back to the shop accompanied solely by her familiar, Ribbit, who was still blissfully asleep at the bottom of her disorganized patchwork bag. Alone with Ribbit… that suited Cadenza just fine. She had gotten used to it over the years.

Although it was unlikely that she would find Doctor Devorak lurking near her shop again, that didn’t mean that the trip was entirely useless. In fact, if she was going to be going on a manhunt across the city in search of him, she was going to need to collect some supplies. Namely, snacks for Ribbit as well as some mugwort… perhaps some sandalwood as well? Ugh. Magic that involved the use of ingredients was far from Cadenza’s specialty.

She was still ruminating over ingredients and twisting herself in mental knots as she tried to recall their uses when she reached the shop. What with her preoccupied state of mind, she reached out to unlock the door absentmindedly only for it to swing open slowly on its own instead. Now that gave Cadenza pause. Blinking slowly, she looked at the door; taking in the red that was smeared across the wood and the long gouge marks near the handle.

Cadenza’s blood ran cold and her entire body tensed. Someone or something had forced its way into her place of business… into her home.

The raven-haired magician stumbled away from her front door, jostling Ribbit and waking him in the process. Sensing that Cadenza needed him, Ribbit leapt from her bag and landed on the doorstep before he could be snatched up. He stared at the door for a couple of beats, quietly making his own assessment of the danger posed to Cadenza before turning around to face her with concern rather than fear in his glossy black eyes.

“What is it, amico mio?”

The protections, he answered in a squeaky voice that echoed somewhat in Cadenza’s head. They’re still in place.

At that, Cadenza’s eyes widened in realization. “Asra.” Without giving it a second thought, she scooped Ribbit up and rushed into the shop with her heart pounding in her chest, all the while muttering a chorus of “no’s” to herself.

The inside of the shop looked like something out of a nightmare. Blood was splattered all over the floor, with huge paw prints tracking through it. There was no sign of Asra’s bootprints anywhere she looked, however, but Cadenza couldn’t bring herself to feel relief. She followed the trail of blood that led to the backroom with her eyes, silently noting that the paw prints only went in one direction. Whatever had managed to find its way into her shop had yet to leave.

Inhaling shakily, Cadenza tightened her arms around Ribbit and cautiously approached the backroom. When she pushed aside the curtain, she was greeted by odd, twisting shadows and a silence so complete that she could hear the creaking of her teeth as she clenched her jaw. For a few heart-pounding moments, she stood there: watching, waiting, and then…. Two glowing yellow eyes materialized out of the shadows.

It was a wolf—un lupo, as Cadenza called it instinctively—and its massive shadow loomed over the trembling magician, making her feel much smaller than she was in realty. Blood dripped down slowly from its dark fur, pooling at its feet. Cadenza backed away slowly and Ribbit let out a low, warning croak as he funnelled magic from his own stores into her own: magic that, unlike the kind that she was naturally capable of, would allow her to burn or freeze, or do whatever was convenient in the moment.

The magician’s hands were heating up, some part of her had evidently decided that fire would be the best way to defend herself from the wolf that was dripping blood all over the floorboards of her shop. Her heart was still slamming wildly against her ribs, she thought that surely it would burst from her chest any moment. She counted the seconds, did her best to keep her hand from shaking as she raised it so that he palm was extended toward the wolf….

A mournful noise escaped the wolf when it stepped out of the shadows and into the light. It lowered its head slowly and dropped onto the floor with a whine. Its yellow gaze was still fixed on Cadenza, but the magician sensed no malice emanating from the animal. She lowered her hand, her fear and trepidation quickly replaced by confusion. The wolf howled sadly at her, as though it was begging for something—something that Cadenza could not pinpoint given that her ability to communicate with animals other than Ribbit and Faust was sorely lacking.

“Do you need help?” she asked.

The wolf whined again in answer. There was an intelligence behind their eyes, a beseeching air to them that told Cadenza that this was no ordinary animal. The magician paused to think. She had never seen this wolf before today, but it knew to come to her shop. More importantly and which begged explanation, the protection spell had allowed it inside without breaking. This was truly unusual, perplexing, in fact, and it could only mean that Asra somehow knew this wolf.

“Were you looking for Asra?” she asked again, and the wolf snuffled, its ears perking up at the mention of the wandering magician’s name. This comforted Cadenza, somewhat. “He’s not here, unfortunately. He left.”

Another whine escaped the wolf and its ears drooped, its tail sank to the ground as well. The animal looked dejected. Lost. There was a look in its yellow eyes that gave Cadenza the feeling like they didn’t know what to do with themselves from there beyond returning to wherever they had come from. She frowned. That wouldn’t be right. Evidently, the wolf knew Asra and it had come seeking his help. Since Asra wasn’t there, it was only logical that Cadenza should offer up her assistance instead. After all, the amount of blood that the wolf had tracked into her shop was more than a little bit concerning since it didn’t appear to be the one who was bleeding.

“I can help you,” Cadenza said, out loud, before she could think twice about her decision.

The wolf jumped to its feet almost immediately, a hopeful look in its eyes, whereas Ribbit voiced his displeasure by croaking loudly. The frog was not pleased about his magician’s decision, but he knew that he had to stand by her, and so he leaped out of her arms and into her patchwork bag. It might have been his duty to follow her wherever she went, but that didn’t mean that he had to be an active participant in whatever was about to happen next. Cadenza merely patted her familiar softly on the head to show her gratitude before following the wolf who had already started to trot away.

Keeping up with the wolf as it rushed through town was not an easy task for Cadenza in her dress and sandals. She was not much of an athlete, either, and only narrowly managed to avoid skidding across the slick cobblestones and into the canals as she chased after the wolf. Eventually, they reached the edge of the forest and that was where Cadenza came to a skidding halt. The trees loomed overhead, their branches reaching out toward the sky like skeletal fingers. A chill ran through her and she shuddered, jostling Ribbit in her bag as she did. There was something about the forest didn’t feel right and she had avoided venturing near it so far.

The wolf made a soft noise, wandering back from the shadows of the forest to nudge Cadenza’s hand with its nose. It looked up at her with clear desperation in its eyes. There was something in the forest that she really needed to see and the wolf would take her there if she just let it. Common sense was screaming at Cadenza to turn around, to go back to the shop and clean up, and go about her business as if nothing had happened. Her instincts, on the other hand… they were urging her to keep going. She had already come this far, why would she give up at the last possible moment?

And so, with the roar of her blood in her ears and her heart beating wildly, Cadenza took as deep a breath as she could and crossed the threshold into the forest.

✧ ✧ ✧

The canopy overhead was thick, blotting out the sun and making it very difficult to see for anyone who had not been blessed by nature with the ability to see in the dark. Cadenza was one such individual. She tripped over roots and rocks as she chased after the wolf, but thanks to the fact that she wore socks with her sandals she was able to avoid shredding her toes in the undergrowth. Earlier that day, the Countess, erm, Nadia had commented on this particular quirk of hers and Cadenza felt better than ever about her decision to keep her socks on even as branches whipped her in the face.

The wolf let out a mournful howl from somewhere up ahead. It was a sound that chilled Cadenza to the bone and almost made her stop dead in her tracks. Almost. She slowed down significantly, started to focus on just putting one foot in front of the other rather even though it meant getting to where the wolf was waiting for her more slowly. The air in this part of the forest felt heavier and Cadenza struggled to inhale. She opened her mouth slight to catch her breath but quickly snapped it shut again when she tasted iron on her tongue. Her head was spinning. A clearing was coming into view.

Cadenza, stop. Ribbit’s voice rang clearly in the magician’s head before she could step out of the thicket of trees. Look around first. You’ll be of no help if you get hurt.

Ribbit, of course, was right and Cadenza took her familiar’s advice. She stopped at the very edge of the clearing, careful to keep to the shadows so as to not draw any unwanted attention from things that might want to do her harm. Caution was, in fact, not unwarranted. The clearing was strewn with evidence of a great battle: broken branches, kicked up dirt, and cracked tree trunks. There was blood everywhere, and in the middle of it all, a big form was huddled over a smaller one. The wolf rushed toward the larger form (which Cadenza now recognized to be a human man), yelping with concern and nudging his arm.

“Inanna…? What are you doing here? Get away!”

The man snarled at the wolf, whose name must have been Inanna, but the animal didn’t do as she was told. Rather, she nuzzled his cheek with her snout and then turned to look directly at Cadenza where she stood perfectly still in the shadows; letting out a soft huff. The man lifted his head and followed Inanna’s gaze to the edge of the clearing, finally noticing Cadenza. The movement caused his hood to fall to his shoulders and the raven-haired magician couldn’t conceal her gasp when she saw the blood.

A thick cut on the man’s forehead was bleeding sluggishly, smearing his face with red. A memory tickled the back of Cadenza’s mind. She remembered a dark place, lit with torches. She could smell iron, decay, and… the faintest scent of flowers? Cadenza’s head throbbed, her temples felt as though they were being squeezed in a vice. No, she couldn’t remember now. She couldn’t go down this route. She fought with herself to refocus on the present: on the earth beneath her feet, on the sting of her scratches from her chase through the forest, on the man who was staring straight at her.

“You,” the man said in a tone that was almost accusing. He seemed to recognize Cadenza, but she didn’t know him. At least, she didn’t think that she did.

Cadenza took a step forward, out of the shadows and into the clearing. “You’re hurt,” she said, matter-of-factly. She walked toward the man slowly, cautiously, her hands held out in front of her.

The man flinched away from Cadenza’s approaching form, fear flashing in his moss-green eyes. “Don’t touch me!”

“All right.” Cadenza stopped and lifted her hands up before lowering them back down to her sides. She patted Ribbit through the cloth of her purse in order to set him at ease. “I won’t.”

The man’s shoulders relaxed just a little bit at the reassurance, some of the tension seeping from him. As Cadenza watched him, she realized that he was draped over another unmoving creature. Slowly, he drew back, revealing a deer… or something like it. Feathers trailed down its back, meeting with two ragged wings that must have once been colourful. Where its heart should have been, there was instead a great gaping cavern: torn open by rough claws. The man scowled and curled tighter around the corpse, as though he believed that he could still protect it from whatever had taken its life… and from Cadenza as well.

“Leave. You’re not needed here.” The man appeared to be doing his best to put up a strong front, but a whimper of pain betrayed him. He was wounded, badly, and Cadenza could not find it in her to just walk away.

“Let me help you.”

The man eyed Cadenza with great suspicion, though when she doesn’t attempt to come any closer to him, he relaxed somewhat. “I can manage on my own.”

Cadenza grabbed a handful of her skirt and knelt down next to the man, staining her knees and her clothes with mud. “Maybe so, but you’ll get wherever it is that you need to go faster if you let me help you.” She looked at him closely, gold-flecked eyes gleaming. “Please.”

The raven-haired magician was careful not to push the man’s boundaries. He reminded her so much of herself. She hated to ask for help and she would also hesitate to accept it from a stranger who seemed to be extending it to her out of nothing but the goodness of their own heart. She didn’t trust like that, and she got the sense that this man didn’t, either. Emotions warred across his face, none of which Cadenza was actually able to identify. Eventually, he relented and gave her the smallest incline of his head.

“Fine,” he sighed, rising to his feet only to tumble back to the ground. Cadenza caught him by wedging herself under his shoulder and the man tensed, as though he was expecting a blow to his now-exposed side. When she doesn’t attack him, he relaxes. “… This way.”

The forest seemed to close in around them as they stumbled through the trees. All around her, Cadenza could feel an oppressive force coming closer, swallowing up all of the air in the area. Ribbit croaked out a warning to his magician, who snuck a hand into her patchwork bag in order to stroke her fingers down his back, accepting the offer of magic that he had silently extended to her. A branch snapped ahead of them and the man stopped in his tracks, nearly knocking Cadenza over, his eyes widening with what could only be fear.

“He’s back,” the man hissed under his breath and Inanna circled around them, hackles raised and fur bristled.

“Who’s back?” Cadenza asked. Whoever had attacked the deer he was guarding? Whoever had hurt him?

The man didn’t reply, just let out a low growl as he stepped in front of Cadenza, eyes scanning the path ahead. The wind picked up a flurry of leaves, swirling them up in the air like a tornado. In the middle, a figure coalesced, snarling at them from the shadows. It lunged toward them, moving to strike, and Cadenza acted without thinking. She drew upon her own magic rather than Ribbit’s, summoning a shield that flashed a brilliant white by expending some of her own life-force. The creature slammed against her shield and was thrown back into the forest as it splintered.

“You can’t run from me forever!” the creature shrieked, readying itself for another strike that Cadenza knew she was not strong enough to deflect.

The man squeezed Cadenza’s hand tightly in his, staining it with blood. “We have to hurry.”

He tugged the magician along, down a little path. The creature moved as if to follow us, but only managed to reach the start of the path before lurching to a stop. A little charm made of sticks dangled over its head, and Cadenza recognized it as one of Asra’s protection charms. The sight of it, however seemingly out of place, soothed Cadenza’s nerves. The creature, on the other hand, was not soothed at all. It let out a final scream, its monstrous face contorted in rage as Cadenza and the man disappeared down the path.

The scratched-up and bloodied pair stumbled into a small clearing, adrenaline propelling them forward. The man was leaning heavily against Cadenza at that point and Cadenza wasn’t doing so well, herself, considering how much energy she had expended conjuring up that shield. She barely looked twice at the hut that stood in front of her before she was following Inanna inside of it, supporting the bleeding, injured man as best as she could. She only hoped that she had found him in time and that she still had enough energy to make a difference.


	2. Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prickly Cadenza lends a prickly Muriel a healing hand, and experiences very strong déjà vu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning(s): blood and memory loss.

Cadenza shut the door of the hut behind her quickly and took her first deep breath in a while—her lungs had been starving for air. Her legs trembled slightly as she lowered the man to the ground, she couldn’t hold him upright one moment longer. The man let out a low grunt of pain, leaning his head back against the wall. His breathing was laboured and Cadenza could hear them whistling softly through his teeth. He wasn’t doing well, that much was clear, but he was doing his best not to show his weakness in front of Cadenza.

“Thank you,” he muttered. “Now go away.”

Cadenza fought the urge to roll her eyes. There was no real venom behind the man’s words and she should know. “Are you certain that you want me to leave?”

The man rolled his eyes and shrugged, wincing slightly. Rather than answering her question directly, he said: “Fine. Stay until you catch your breath. _Then_ leave.”

Reassured that the man wasn’t going to chase her out of his hut anytime soon (although it’s not like he would have been able to, anyway), Cadenza slid down the wall to sit beside Inanna. She wouldn’t have been able to stand for a moment longer. She was exhausted. Conjuring a shield had required a lot more energy than she had anticipated. She should have taken up Ribbit’s offer of magic rather than taking such a big risk. As if on cue, Ribbit hopped out of his magician’s patchwork bag; settling into her lap and nudging her hand with his head until she moved it on top of him—a comforting weight.

Cadenza looked around the hut while she caught her breath. She wasn’t nosy, it was more so of a habit: she liked to be aware of her surroundings. The hut was simple and warm, filled only with the barest of necessities. Despite its unfamiliarity, Cadenza felt comfortable there. She almost felt as though she was back home at the shop. It must have been the work of the protection charms, the ones that had saved them when they were running away from the creature that had attacked them. The moment the creature crossed her mind, she was fixated on it.

“What was that thing chasing us?”

“No one.”

The raven-haired magician could tell by the set of the man’s shoulders that he wasn’t going to tell her anything about the creature even if he knew more. She sighed, somewhat annoyed. “What’s your name, then?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“So that I know what to call you.”

“Just don’t call me anything.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cadenza snapped only to soften her tone when she saw the man flinch. “If you’re not willing to go first, my name, for example, is Cadenza.”

“‘For example?’” The man snickered only to cringe and press a hand to his ribs. He sobered up quickly. “Muriel.” He inclined his head to Cadenza, acknowledging her introduction. Or so she thought. “And I know who you are.”

“You do?” Cadenza raised an eyebrow, scanned Muriel’s expression intensely in an attempt to figure out whether he was telling the truth or messing with her. She saw no signs of deception.

The admission had a more profound impact on Cadenza than she was willing to acknowledge and she glanced away, fixing her gold-flecked gaze on Ribbit’s head. Muriel might have remembered her, somehow, but she didn’t remember him, which could only mean one thing: that he was from her past. It was a revelation that made her heart sink as she was reminded of the yawning void that stretched inside of her whenever she tried to recall anything beyond the three years that she remembered living. It was an awful feeling. Like she was standing on a ledge and unable to look down to see whether a void or solid ground was waiting for her.

The magician shrugged off her discomfort, did what she could to push her memory loss from her mind. If such a thing was even possible. “I don’t remember you. Sorry.”

Muriel looked at her, his moss-green gaze was guarded and gave away nothing. “Good. You shouldn’t remember me.”

“At least tell me where you know me from—is it my shop? Tea and Tasseography?”

“You could say that.”

Cadenza frowned. “Listen, I don’t like to pull this card, but I’m missing my memories. Everything before three years ago. The least you could do is tell me how you know me.”

Muriel cocked his head to the side, scoffed before looking back down at his blood-stained hands. “I know that, too.”

Cadenza’s cheeks heated. She was… embarrassed and unsure of how to react. “How?” she asked once she found her voice again.

Muriel didn’t answer her—he didn’t even look at her. It was clear that he was done talking. He staggered to his feet somewhat woodenly, revealing a puddle of blood where he had been sitting, thick and red. For a few seconds, the only thing Cadenza could do was stare at the red pool, stare at her own murky reflection. She could hear her own blood rushing in her ears, her heart started to beat harder and slam itself against her ribs. She blinked, snapping out of her trance. Cadenza removed Ribbit from her lap and stood up abruptly, hands reaching for Muriel.

“Hey!” Muriel snapped, lurching away from Cadenza’s touch. “I can take care of myself.”

“Right. You’ll past out on the floor from blood loss before you manage to close even _one_ of your wounds completely.”

“You’re wrong.” Muriel was still trying to look strong, self-sufficient, but he was leaning heavily against the wall, his chest heaving. “I can manage. You can leave.”

“I’m here because I want to help you.” Cadenza took a tentative step forward, and then another when Muriel didn’t flinch. “Will you let me help you?”

A strong feeling of _déjà vu_ washed over the raven-haired magician and for a moment, Muriel changed in front of her very eyes. In an instant, his hair grew so that it was down to his waist and his clothes changed, too, such that he donned a red loincloth and black leather. Cadenza shook her head, glanced away briefly. When she looked at Muriel again, he was back to normal, and she was left wondering whether she had really seen what she had seen or whether her tired mind was playing cruel tricks on her.

“I’ll get the supplies,” Muriel said, snapping Cadenza from her thoughts and the magician raised her hands.

“No need, I came prepared.” She reached into one of her pockets, pulling out a satchel full of leaves and petals. “My shop may be called Tea and Tasseography, but the latter isn’t my specialty.” She looked directly into Muriel’s eyes. “I’m an animancer, which means that I can heal people. Sometimes.”

Muriel didn’t seem to be listening, as he barely acknowledged what Cadenza had just said. He took a wobbly step forward only to stumble to his knees. Fortunately, Cadenza was there to catch him: tucking herself under his arm and pressing her body against his side in order to keep him from acquainting himself with the floor. His skin was so warm compared to Cadenza’s and she could hear his heart beating in his chest what with how intensely it was slamming against his ribs.

Careful not to trip over her own feet or collapse under the weight of him, Cadenza led Muriel over to a rickety three-legged stool and urged him to sit. Once she was relatively certain that he wasn’t going to keel over onto the floor, Cadenza looked around for something to clean some of the blood off of him in order to get a better sense of his injuries. There was no sink in the hut, but there was a bucket of cold water in a corner with a rag hanging off of it. That would have to do. She collected them both and brought them back over to Muriel, who eyed her warily.

“What?” Cadenza asked, raising an eyebrow.

It was Muriel’s turn to frown, suspicion flashing in his eyes. “I can’t ask you what you’re doing?”

“No, you can.” Cadenza wrung some of the water from the rag. “To answer the question that’s on the very tip of your tongue, though, I need to clean all of this blood off of you in order to tell how badly you’ve been injured.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll do it.” Muriel tried to grab the rag from Cadenza only for her to hold it just out of his grasp. He grunted from the movement when he tried to reach farther.

“No, you won’t. Just sit still.”

Muriel huffed, his nostrils flaring, but sat still just as he was asked. Cadenza reached out slowly so that he could see what she was doing and pulled the cloak from his shoulders, letting it fall down onto the floor. He shivered at the loss, but forced himself to sit still once more. Now, rather than watching what Cadenza was doing, he was staring at the wall: ignoring her completely. Quite honestly, Cadenza preferred things that way. Especially because it meant he didn’t see the look that flashed across her face when she saw more of his skin.

Most of it was covered in blood, though it all seemed to stem from a single deep wound in his side. It looked like it hurt, but it didn’t appear life-threatening. Carefully, Cadenza wiped up the blood that stained his skin a deep red. Every time she ran the damp rag over him, Muriel would stiffen and she wasn’t sure whether it was because he was in pain or whether he was self-conscious of the multitudes of scars that the cold water revealed. Cadenza couldn’t help but place her free hand over a knotted mass of scar tissue along his ribcage and for a split second, she could have sworn that she felt a familiar flicker of magic beneath the surface: her own.

All of a sudden, she was cognizant of how Muriel was tensing every muscle in his body, as though he was afraid of her touch. Another wave of _déjà vu_ washed over her. She was in a dark place, her hands were pressed against warm, unfamiliar skin that felt rough beneath her soft palms. Fear radiated from the body that she touched, it was evident from every twitch of fine muscle and shudder. Were these her memories from before? Or were they just hazy fragments from a dream that she had had long ago? She shook her head yet again, refocused on Muriel and fixed him with her most reassuring look.

“I’m not going to hurt you, you know.”

Muriel’s cheeks flared red and he looked as though he couldn’t decide whether he was offended or embarrassed by the reassurance. “I know that.”

“Do you? I know that I’m not the friendliest-looking person, but you keep looking at me as though you’re worried that I’m going to bite your head off.”

A soft laugh bubbled up and past Muriel’s lips. “You wouldn’t be able to even if you tried.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Cadenza gestured up and down the length of Muriel’s body. “If you stood up, I wouldn’t even be able to reach.” She leaned in slightly. “If it makes you feel better, you could probably knock me on my rear in three seconds flat. I’m not an athlete—much less a fighter.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Muriel blurted out at that, and he turned his gaze down to his fidgeting fingers. “I don’t want to hurt _anyone._ ”

“Good. Neither do I.”

The next time Cadenza touched the damp rag to Muriel’s skin in order to wipe away more of the blood that stained it, he neither tensed nor startled. The magician wasn’t sure whether he had simply gotten used to her proximity or if his newfound relaxation was a result of the words that they had just exchanged. Not that she really cared about the distinction, she was just pleased that he was staying still enough for her to do her work. She had managed to clean most of the blood from his side, but it was still splattered over his chest, and as she ran the rag over his warm skin more and more twisted scars were revealed.

She tried not to wonder where all of the scars had come from—although _not_ wondering was no easy task when there were so many of them for her to look at and study. She wondered what kind of pain he kept locked away deep inside of him and wondered whether she had once done the same in her past life that she could not remember. She kept cleaning up the blood dutifully, did her best to ignore the multitudes of scars that kept appearing. Eventually, she was done and sat back to ensure that she hadn’t missed anything. It was then that she noticed that Muriel was staring at the wound in his side, sadness tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Does it bother you?” Cadenza asked before she could stop herself.

Muriel’s shoulders tensed: he clearly wasn’t expecting the question. For a moment, he looked as though he was going to deny it, only to end up sighing softly and nodding. “It’s going to scar.”

“You don’t like your scars.”

At first, it looked like Muriel wasn’t going to answer, and Cadenza was more than ready to move on if it was such a difficult topic for him, but he did answer: solemn and staring at the ground. “They scare people.”

Cadenza tilted her head to the side, like an owl that wasn’t quite sure about what they were seeing or hearing. She reached out to touch the scar on his ribcage, the one that she had touched earlier and felt the welcoming embrace of her own magic. “They don’t scare me.”

Muriel looked even more startled by that admission and he pushed Cadenza’s hand aside with his own, his touch lingering just a second longer than it probably should have before he withdrew completely. “They should.”

“Why?” Cadenza asked, frowning. “They’re not something that you have any control over. I imagine that you’re not wandering the streets of Vesuvia threatening people or waving a fist at them menacingly. If I saw you walking down the street looking exactly as you do right now, you wouldn’t frighten me.”

That time, Muriel didn’t answer Cadenza. He seemed deeply pained by the line of questioning, like despite the somewhat pointed reassurances of the raven-haired magician sitting beside him, all he could think of was something else: something dark and painful that made him slightly teary-eyed. After a few beats of silence during which Cadenza was examining Muriel’s expression closely and Muriel was avoiding her intense, gold-flecked gaze, he shook his head and shrugged. He had nothing more to contribute to the topic. He probably just wanted Cadenza to drop it already. So she did.

“I’m going to heal your wound now, all right?” Cadenza reached for her satchel full of leaves and flower petals, started to draw some of the plant matter out of it. “Would you like me to explain the process to you? How my magic works?”

“Yes.” A pause. “And sure.”

There was a brief lull in the conversation as Cadenza set to work pressing waxy leaves and velvety petals to Muriel’s skin, surrounding the wound in his side. She could count on one hand the number of times that she had used this animantic technique on someone in the past three years, but something niggled at the back of her mind. She had done this before, and not for any client that she remembered. She got the overwhelming feeling that she had done this very same thing for someone under similar circumstances in the distant past and the fact that she could not remember the situation clearly drove her mad.

“Our bodies heal naturally, slowly by drawing upon and using the life-force that resides within us in small increments,” Cadenza said and she heard her own voice echoing inside of her head, the very same words but in a slightly different tone. “If you let nature run its course, I imagine that the wound in your side would take a while to heal. But you probably don’t want that, as it would get in the way of your daily living, I imagine.

“Now, life-force is something that exists in all living things—it is essentially what makes it so that they are ‘living.’” Again, Cadenza felt as though she had said this before, and the words that spilled from her lips afterward felt eerily familiar as well. “What I am going to do is help your healing process along by transferring the life-force that is still present in these leaves and petals and focus that energy on your wound. Are you following my process so far?”

Muriel’s eyes were dark, the light in them was gone. His thoughts were far, far away. He was remembering something. “Yes.”

“Now, the transfer itself might feel a little bit unusual. People I’ve worked on have described it as a cold tingle. As if-”

“As if a eucalyptus salve had just been applied and consequently breathed on,” Muriel finished Cadenza’s sentence for her, and the raven-haired magician startled slightly.

“That’s… right.”

“I don’t mind.” Muriel closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. “Go ahead.”

Cadenza nodded firmly and the moment she laid her palms flat against Muriel’s skin, she was transported again. She felt not one, but two layers of petals beneath her fingertips—one of which was a phantom that she knew would disappear the moment she moved. Even though she was sitting on a stool, she could feel dirt and grit pressing against her knees. In that moment, she felt younger, like a shadow of herself. It was a feeling that unsettled her deeply, and she clenched her jaw, pushed it down and aside in order to focus on the present.

The magician inhaled and exhaled slowly, allowed her magic to flow out of her: to wind around the threads of life-force that still existed in the plant matter and to weave those threads with Muriel’s as if she were stitching the wound up with a needle and thread. She watched Muriel’s skin knit together, the wound slowly healing as she worked her magic. Oddly enough, Muriel hardly reacted through the process, it was almost as if he had gone through it before and knew what to expect. When Cadenza was done, the spot was red and puckered, but it was no longer bleeding, which was the most important thing.

“There,” she said, pulling her hands away and letting the shrivelled leaves and petals fall to the floor.

Muriel ran his hand over the spot where the wound once bled, checking the work. Apparently satisfied, he cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

Cadenza parted her lips to reply only to wobble forward suddenly, landing flush against Muriel’s bare chest. Her head was swimming, black spots danced around the room. She knew immediately that she had expended too much energy: running, summoning a shield, _healing._ She could picture Asra clearly, standing over her shoulder and scolding her gently for not being careful before hauling her upstairs to bed. But Asra wasn’t there, Muriel was and his hands were there: touching her tentatively, steadying her. The last thing Cadenza heard before her eyelids fluttered shut and exhaustion overtook her was Muriel whispering, worry stark in his voice:

“ _Enza?_ ”

It was a nickname that he couldn’t possibly have known, that he would never have uttered unless he once knew her well.


	3. I Will Remain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cadenza gets to know Muriel a little bit better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning(s): memory loss.

Cadenza opened her eyes slowly, expecting to find that she had passed out at her desk in her study back at the shop only to find herself gazing up at a ceiling that was wholly unfamiliar to her. Her stomach lurched from the change in perspectives when she lifted her head slightly to take in her surroundings and she pressed a balled-up fist against her abdomen in an attempt to calm her stomach. The hut in which she found herself was as unfamiliar to her as its ceiling. Most frightening of all, she had no idea idea of how she had ended up there.

The last thing that she remembered was the sight of her own freckled hands pushing open the front door of her shop. She furrowed her brow, squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to remember more. The memories trickled into her mind slowly, like droplets when a faucet had been only left a little bit open. She recalled glowing yellow eyes in the darkness, a wolf dripping blood across wooden floorboards. She recalled running through the forest just outside of Vesuvia, too—she could still feel the sting of the branches that had scratched her. That was it. That was everything she could remember.

Where am I? Cadenza posed the question to Ribbit, praying silently that he was listening at that exact moment in time as she was unable to project her own thoughts into his mind. Her familiar did not reply.

Heart beating rapidly in her chest, a slightly queasy Cadenza sat up. There was a huge, hulking figure across the room from her. The figure’s silhouette was one that she did not recognize and she tensed, casting her gaze frantically about the room in search of something that she could use to defend herself since she had no fighting ability of her own. Her gaze landed on Ribbit, who was resting by the fireplace alongside the wolf that Cadenza only vaguely remembered. The wolf’s tail was curled around Ribbit, but the frog looked completely at ease.

Before Cadenza could call for Ribbit and ask him for help out loud, the figure turned around to face her. “You’re awake,” the man remarked calmly, so calmly. He was holding a plate with two plain eggs on it, an indecipherable look on his face.

“Who are you?” Cadenza asked. Her throat was scratchy, her voice was hoarse. She should know him, she felt that very strongly, but she could not for the life of her remember who the man was.

Rather than answering her question, the man got up and went over to a small shelf. He rummaged around in it for a few seconds before pulling out a small pouch of herbs, victorious. He walked over to where Cadenza sat with his gaze turned toward his feet, a faint blush painting his cheeks as he handed her the pouch. Cadenza wasn’t quite sure what she was meant to do with it, so she did the only thing that she could think to do: she opened it and lifted it to her nose to inhale deeply. The scent was surprisingly strong, strong enough for her to perceive, and it was so familiar….

Something clicked into place in Cadenza’s mind and she recognized the scent as that of myrrh. She was unsure of how the pouch of myrrh was meant to help, but she didn’t question it: just inhaled deeply once more before lowering it to her lap. She stared up at the man through narrowed eyes, the gears in her head turning as she tried to figure out how, exactly, she knew him. It took about a minute from the moment that she set the pouch down for her memories to come flooding back and her eyes widened—showing gold flecks to the man standing over her—once they did.

“Muriel,” she said his name matter-of-factly and he nodded.

“So you remember now.”

It was Cadenza’s turn to nod. She clutched the pouch in her fist. How was it possible that she had forgotten him after a nap? She decided that it didn’t make sense at all, so she decided to interrogate Muriel on it: “Why did I forget you?”

Muriel shrugged and sat down next to Cadenza while still keeping his distance. “It’s a spell. People look away from me and they forget.”

Cadenza’s dark eyebrows drew together. She had heard of forget-me spells, but nothing so permanent. “And the way to get around this spell is with the help of myrrh?” Cadenza asked and Muriel nodded, but didn’t otherwise answer her out loud. Her frown deepened, she wasn’t satisfied with the answers he had given her so far. “Will I forget you again?”

“Not if you keep that pouch with you.”

The fact that Cadenza would not forget him for as long as she held onto the pouch full of myrrh appeared to annoy Muriel greatly. It seemed to the raven-haired magician that he would prefer that she forgot about him completely. This greatly puzzled Cadenza. If he wanted her to forget about him, why would he hand her the pouch of myrrh? The murkiness of this interaction annoyed her, as she was being presented with conflicting cues which prompted opposing responses. Why couldn’t he be more direct with her?

Cadenza cleared her throat, folded one leg over the other as she crossed her arms. “Good,” she said. “I don’t want to forget you—I’ve already forgotten too many things, too many people, and I don’t want to add you to that elusive list.”

“What?” Muriel’s cheeks coloured themselves red again and his expression was one of incredulity. “It would be easier if- It would- You know what, I changed my mind: you can’t have any eggs. Go away.”

Despite the pretty clear dismissal, Muriel neither took the plate of eggs away nor made any move to shoo Cadenza out of his hut. So, Cadenza reached for the plate of eggs that sat between them and took a bite—she was starving. The pair sat in silence as the magician ate and tried to shake the grogginess of sleep from her mind. She reacquainted herself with her surroundings fully as well, committing the hut and everything in it to memory. Inanna and Ribbit were still napping by the fireplace. After a while, she looked over at Muriel, studying him with renewed interest. He was… unusual, and Cadenza found herself wanting to know more about him.

Muriel jumped a little when he realized that Cadenza was looking at him. “What,” he muttered.

“I want to know more about you. It’s only fair since you indicated earlier that you know me.” Muriel’s eyes widened at Cadenza’s proclamation, surprise clear in his moss-green eyes. He didn’t reply, but his eyes darted to the door as though he was thinking of running. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Cadenza added, giving him an out if he was really so uncomfortable.

Muriel relaxed slightly, but still eyed Cadenza suspiciously. After a moment, he scowled and scratched his chin, fixing his gaze on a blank section of the wall across from them. “What sort of things do you want to know?”

“I don’t know,” Cadenza admitted sheepishly. She hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. “How about… your favourite colour?”

“My what?”

“Your favourite colour,” Cadenza repeated. “What is it?”

“I don’t….” Muriel trailed off, shaking his head. He pressed his lips together. “I don’t have one.”

“Bugiardo. Everyone has a favourite colour.”

“Well, I don’t.” Muriel’s answer seemed to be decisive and a somewhat awkward silence settled over the hut. He studied he wall furiously for a few beats, his jaw working, only to eventually sigh and turn to face Cadenza. “Green is okay, I guess.”

“Green is a good colour.” Cadenza nodded sagely, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’ve been told that I look good in it and I think that you would as well.”

Muriel’s cheeks flushed. “Whatever.”

A brief pause ensued as Cadenza tried to come up with another question, bouncing one of her legs. “Do you have a favourite flower?”

Much to the magician’s surprise, a small smiled graced Muriel’s lips at the simple question. He nodded slowly and retrieved a tiny, delicate flower from a pouch on his waist. It was dried and pressed, and pale periwinkle in colour. He held it carefully between his fingers, gazed at it with something close to fondness glimmering in his mossy eyes. He held the small flower out to Cadenza, placed it in the palm of her hand so that she might examine it more closely. The air in the hut was so still while Cadenza looked.

“Forget-me-nots?” Cadenza asked, offering the tentative identification up to Muriel for confirmation. He nodded.

“They feel….” He shook his head as he searched for the word, before finally coming up short. “I don’t know, I just like them.”

Before Cadenza could touch a calloused fingertip to the delicate petals of the miniature flower, Muriel snatched it back from her and replaced it gently in his pouch. While another might have snapped at Muriel for being so brusque, Cadenza wasn’t too bothered. She plucked things from the hands of clients without a second thought and didn’t particularly care when she was on the receiving end of the action. She did, however, wonder where Muriel had procured the flower—she could have sworn that they only grew to the south of Vesuvia, where the climate was cooler.

One last question suddenly occurred to Cadenza and she had to bite her tongue to keep herself from blurting it out. It was the sort of question that she couldn’t even begin to predict how Muriel might react upon hearing it. It was a question that she might do well to keep to herself. Unfortunately, Cadenza struggled to dismiss questions once they came to her unless there were activities that she could turn to in order to distract herself—such as playing the violin. Unfortunately for Muriel, Cadenza neither had her violin on hand and she had also finished her plate of eggs. And so, she posed her question:

“Are you alone out here?”

Muriel didn’t flinch like Cadenza half-expected him to. He didn’t react at all. “Yes,” he answered simply.

Cadenza started to bounce her knee again and she leaned in closer to Muriel in an attempt to look into his eyes, which he had pointedly averted. “Doesn’t that get lonely?”

“No. Besides. You’re here right now.” He glanced at Cadenza briefly, long enough for her to catch the annoyance flashing in his eyes. “So, I’m not alone.”

Once again, Cadenza got the feeling that Muriel did not want her in his space. And she—probably more than most—understood the desire to have space and quiet to oneself more than most. “I can leave, if that’s what you want.”

“No. You don’t need to do that.”

“I know that. I don’t need to unless you want me out of here.” Cadenza tilted her head to the side. She wasn’t usually difficult on purpose, she had to admit that she found it a little bit amusing to see Muriel squirm. “And if I am understanding you correctly, you don’t want me to leave.”

Muriel exhaled sharply through his nose. “Why.”

“Why, what?”

“Why are you trying to mess with me?”

“I’m not messing with you,” Cadenza replied, doing her best to hide her smile, “I’m simply stating facts and interpreting what it is that you’ve just told me.”

Muriel rolled his eyes, but he was smiling faintly as well. “Don’t you have more important things to do or something?”

Important things to do…. Cadenza leapt to her feet, just barely managing to catch the plate that she had been balancing in her lap before it fell. “Oddio, me ne sono quasi dimenticata!” she exclaimed, already moving toward the fireplace to pick up a napping Ribbit. “I need to find Doctor Devorak.”

“Him…?” Muriel frowned, standing up as well. “Why are you looking for him?”

There was something off about Muriel’s tone, but Cadenza didn’t acknowledge it. She was searching for her things, making sure that she had everything of hers. “The Countess- Nadia, asked me to question him.”

Muriel moved to stand in front of Cadenza. “Why?”

Cadenza let out a long breath, did her best to remain calm and collected in order to keep herself from snapping at him. “Three years ago, Julian Devorak confessed to the murder of Count Lucio and Nadia has charged me with determining whether he was telling the truth.”

A laugh started to bubble up past Muriel’s lips, but he cut it off with a snort. “He confessed to something that he didn’t do. What an idiot.”

Cadenza paused and Ribbit, who she had been in the process of helping into her patchwork bag, blinked in confusion. “Pardon me, but what exactly do you mean that he confessed to something that he didn’t do?”

“I mean that he couldn’t have done it—couldn’t have killed Lucio. He was locked up in the dungeons that entire night.”

Suddenly, Cadenza felt dizzy and she had to lean against a nearby wall in order to keep herself from collapsing onto the floor. “If Doctor Devorak didn’t kill the Count, who did?”

“I don’t know and if I’m being honest, I don’t really care.” There was venom in Muriel’s voice, but it wasn’t directed at Cadenza. “But if you really want to know, need to know… go into the forest and ask him.”

Cadenza furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand.”

“That thing in the woods, the creature that attacked us. That’s all that’s left of Lucio.”

The creature…. Cadenza thought back to what she and Muriel had encountered in the forest. It had resembled a goat, minus an arm. The more she thought about it, the more puzzle pieces started to fall together in her mind. The creature looked suspiciously like the one in the painting that she had seen in Nadia’s dining room. And she could have sworn that she had felt its presence when she visited the Palace as well, especially near what had once been the Count’s wing. The raven-haired magician’s eyes widened and she looked up at Muriel, who was stony-faced and silent.

“That’s Lucio.” Even after saying it out loud, it didn’t feel any less insane to Cadenza. “How in the world did he end up like that?”

“I don’t know.” Muriel threw his hands in the air in frustration. He had clearly wondered the very same thing before and had come up with no answers that made sense. “I don’t know what happened to him. If he’s dead, he’s doing a bad job.”

Cadenza leaned more heavily against the wall, her shoulders slumping slightly. Her mind was reeling. She knew from her readings that ghosts could result from particularly violent deaths and it had never occurred to her that Lucio might have still been lingering or that he might have been so powerful that he could still attack the living. Three years… Lucio had been living in his current state with three years and it was clear that he had at the very least learned how to function as a ghost. And Cadenza had only learned about his ghostly presence today. She was looking at a heavy disadvantage.

“We need to tell Nadia,” she said, her thoughts already racing down dark avenues. “About the Doctor, and about Lucio’s ghost.”

Muriel shot Cadenza a look like he would rather sink into the earth and disappear. “You’d better get going, then.”

Cadenza planted a hand against the wall and forced herself to stand up straight. “You’re a witness,” she said firmly, her gaze unwavering.

“I didn’t ask to be,” Muriel fired back, folding his arms across his chest.

Before Cadenza could think of an appropriate retort, the front door of the hut was flung wide open and a figure stumbled inside, panting heavily. To Cadenza’s great surprise, the figure was none other than Asra. “Muriel, I need your help. Our shop-” He started to say, panic painted on his face, only to cut himself off when he noticed Cadenza. His panic turned into confusion, then to relief. “You’re all right! When I saw the blood in the shop, I thought- Never mind. How did you get here?”

“I could ask you the same question.” Cadenza briefly forgot about her conversation with Muriel, turning all of her attention to Asra and levelling him with an intense stare. “How is it that you have never mentioned Muriel to me once in the past three years when it is now quite obvious that the two of you know each other well?”

Asra looked from Cadenza to Muriel, and back to Cadenza. He let out a low, whistling sigh. He raised his hands as if in surrender. “I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?”


	4. Second Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra explains himself, for Cadenza’s sake, and Muriel realizes that he is involved in something he would really rather not be.

Asra stood in the doorway of Muriel’s hut, framed in the ethereal silver of the fading moonlight from the forest beyond for a few beats before shutting the door behind him with what could only be described as care and familiarity. Cut off from the moonlight and illuminated instead by the light of the fire that burned in the hearth, Cadenza was better able to see Asra’s face and the smile that was dancing in his eyes as he glanced between her and Muriel—familiarity flickered in his violet gaze when he looked at both of them. The raven-haired magician narrowed her eyes.

“You know Muriel.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, and she waited patiently for Asra to confirm what she had guessed to be true.

Asra nodded slowly. “We’re old friends. I stop by every once in a while.” He strolled into the hut and dropped his bag down onto the table, much like he would back at the shop. With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned a three-legged stool closer to him and sat down.

Cadenza still wasn’t quite satisfied, and so, she sat down across from Asra; positioning herself as though they were in an interrogation. “How did the two of you meet?”

“We grew up on the docks together.”

The magician pressed his lips together, glanced over at Muriel: his _old friend._ A flicker of discomfort passed between the two of them and the corners of Cadenza’s mouth turned down. If she wasn’t mistaken, the docks were where the abandoned children of Vesuvia lived. She didn’t have to pose her next question out loud—the answer to it lay in the fact that Asra never spoke about his family. Nervous about treading on toes, Cadenza drew her deck of cards from her pocket and thumbed the familiar violet card stock. The reflexive action was enough to calm her down, somewhat.

“We had each other,” Asra added of his own accord, noticing the tension. “For a couple of plucky kids, that was enough.” He paused, followed Muriel’s form as he settled down into a seat as well before meeting Cadenza’s gaze. “So, how’d you find your way to Muriel’s?”

Cadenza opened her mouth to answer, but Muriel beat her to it. “Inanna.” Hearing her name, the wolf lifted her head and snuffled once in affirmation.

“She came to the shop,” Cadenza elaborated once she was fairly certain that Muriel was not going to do so. “The blood was Muriel’s, Inanna was covered in it. She merely tracked it in from the forest.”

Asra swallowed hard and folded his hands in front of him in an attempt to hide how they trembled. He looked at Muriel, worry glinting in his eyes. “You’re not dead, so, I’m guessing that Cadenza helped you?”

Muriel shrugged his shoulders and a bright blush spread across his cheeks. He looked like he would rather the earth swallowed him whole than rehash what they had gone through. “… Yes,” he answered, eventually, his mossy-green gaze fixed on the floor. “Cadenza helped me.”

“And you let her stay?” Asra sounded incredulous.

“It’s late. The woods aren’t safe.”

“Mhm, right.” Asra nodded, his focus narrowing in on the pouch of myrrh that Cadenza had in her lap. “And that’s also why you went ahead and told her about your curse, right? Why you gave her the means to get around it?”

“It’s not a curse. Besides, there’s more important things going on.” Muriel’s blush deepened, but he kept looking pointedly away from Cadenza. “It would be annoying if Cadenza forgot everything now.”

“About that….” Worry pinched Asra’s features again and he looked at Cadenza, who was still thumbing her deck of cards. “You mentioned that Inanna came and got you, but what really happened? Why was Muriel hurt?”

It took a great deal out of Cadenza emotionally to recount everything that had happened, as the experience itself had worn her down in more ways than one. She spread her cards out on the table, her fingertips dancing across them unconsciously as she spoke and tapping the ones that reflected her emotional state at any given point. She told Asra about finding the door open and blood on the floor, the lettering of the card that read “Frightened” glowed gold. She told him about actually finding Muriel in the woods, the lettering of the card that read “Curious” glowed gold for an instant. She described the creature that had attacked them, the “Frightened” card received attention again.

Asra leaned back in his chair once Cadenza finished speaking and let out a low sigh. His expression was serious. “Lucio’s back?” He posed it like a question, but it wasn’t one. Not really. He already knew the answer.

Muriel nodded, his features were cloaked in shadow. “He killed the Heart of the Forest.”

“Is that the true name of the winged deer I saw you with in the forest?” Cadenza asked, frowning, and Muriel nodded yet again.

“It’s supposed to protect the forest, keep it safe. And now it’s dead.” He looked away in shame. “I couldn’t save it.”

Despite the fact that she readily spoke her mind when it came to other things, Cadenza was never quite sure how to comfort people. And looking at Muriel and the heavy sadness that seemed to be weighing on him… she still wasn’t sure what to do. So, she did the only thing that she could think to do. She reached out and patted his arm somewhat awkwardly, but gently. Muriel jumped slightly in his seat and fear sparked in his gaze as he looked directly at Cadenza.

“What… what was that for?” he stammered.

“I don’t know.” Cadenza drew her hand away. “You looked sad and I thought you could use some support, I suppose.”

A blush coloured Muriel’s cheeks. “Don’t do that. I don’t need your arm pats, or whatever they are,” he muttered, but he gently rubbed the patch of skin that Cadenza had touched, looking thoughtful.

Asra watched the exchange with a fond smile, eyes sparkling. “You two get along really well, don’t you?”

“W-What? No we don’t.” Muriel’s eyes widened briefly, only for him to turn his gaze down to the floor. “Everyone get out of my hut.”

“If you want me out of here, you’re coming with me.” Cadenza furrowed her brow and folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. “We need to tell Nadia about Doctor Devorak and about the Heart.”

Muriel frowned. “Absolutely not. You have a working mouth, you can tell her yourself.”

“No, Cadenza’s right,” Asra said and he looked pointedly at Muriel. “Nadia needs to know. If Lucio is still out there, in some form… who knows what damage he could cause?”

Muriel looked as if he had no intentions of getting up. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re an eyewitness.” Cadenza rapped her knuckles against the tabletop and she levelled Muriel with a stern look. “I _could_ tell Nadia everything, but it would be more meaningful if _you_ told her, yourself.”

Muriel scoffed and his frown deepened. “They never listen to me.” He shook his head. “And even if they do, they’ll just forget.”

Cadenza placed the pouch of myrrh that had been sitting in her lap on the table. “Nadia needs to know. Please.”

Muriel pressed his lips together and brushed his fingers against the pouch. “If I give her one of these… what if she remembers me?”

Asra raised his eyebrows. “That’s kind of the goal here.”

“No, not just what I tell her, but _everything_ that I’ve done.” Even though Cadenza was not the best at reading expressions, there was no mistaking the shame on Muriel’s face.

“Oh.” Asra’s eyebrows drew together and his expression softened. “It’ll be okay, Muriel, she won’t judge you.”

“I doubt that.” Muriel stood up abruptly, keeping his gaze downcast. “But it looks like I don’t have a choice.” He chanced a glance over at Cadenza. “Let’s go.”

He walked over to the door at a shuffling pace, shrugging his cloak back on—Cadenza noticed bloodstains on the fabric, but she said nothing. Muriel moved his hands like he wanted to tug the hood over her head only to pause when he caught a look from Asra. A flush tinged his cheeks as he lowered the hood again and it took him a few seconds before he was able to look in Cadenza’s direction again—Cadenza, who was perched on the edge of her seat and who was looking at him very intensely, waiting for some sign that this was really something that he wanted to go through with.

“Come on, we’re leaving,” Muriel muttered. When Cadenza stood up, he looked at Asra, who stood as well. “Don’t burn the hut down. Or do. I don’t care.” And with that, he shuffled grumpily out of the hut.

Before Cadenza could follow Muriel out of the hut, Asra reached out and touched her shoulder. “Enza, do you have a minute?”

The raven-haired magician glanced back at the door. She felt a tickle at the back of her mind. Had Muriel called her “Enza” earlier? Or did she dream that? She shook her head. “I don’t think that I should keep Muriel waiting,” she said.

Asra chuckled. “He’ll wait for you, don’t worry! Even if he pretends that he won’t.” His expression grew pensive and he nodded at the pouch of myrrh that Cadenza had gathered up in her hands. “To be honest, I’m surprised that he gave that to you. It shows that he’s starting to trust you already… and he doesn’t trust a lot of people. He’s been through a lot.”

“Ah.” Cadenza nodded slowly. “I see.”

“But I think that the two of you could be good for each other.” Asra trailed his fingers down Cadenza’s arm, brushing her elbow before letting his hand drop to his side. “Watch him for me, will you? He doesn’t act like it, but he has a soft heart.” He glanced away. “The world can be cruel to the soft-hearted.”

Something unsaid hung heavy in the air and Asra seemed to be pointedly avoiding Cadenza’s intense gold-flecked gaze. The raven-haired magician shrugged her shoulders and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, wholly uncertain of what she was meant to do or say. All of a sudden she felt uncertain, vulnerable, and she pressed a hand against her chest to feel the steady _thudding_ of her heart beneath her palm. She moved closer to Asra, rested her free hand over his heart, and for a few moments the pair stood perfectly still.

“I’ll keep him safe,” Cadenza said when she pulled away. “As safe as I can.”

“I know you will.” Asra smiled softly at his friend. “You’re strong, and you’re the only one who can fix this mess.” He stared out the window, a distant look in his amethyst eyes. “It’s getting late, you’d better get going.”

Cadenza hesitated and glanced over at Ribbit where he was still napping by the fireplace with Inanna. “Will you…?”

“I’ll take good care of Ribbit, don’t worry.” The fluffy-haired magician nodded at Cadenza’s familiar. “He and I have an understanding.”

“Thank you.” Cadenza nodded slowly, drifted closer to the door. “Be seeing you.” She slipped outside without wishing Asra “goodbye,” following a silent Muriel into the gloom of the forest.


	5. Paper Knees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cadenza and Muriel’s trip into town is disrupted by two ruffians looking for trouble, and the former raises her fists for the first time in her life.

Muriel stopped in his tracks the moment he and Cadenza hit the edge of town, looking warily down at his feet where the soft, dark earth transitioned to unyielding cobblestone. Cadenza, on the other hand, held her head high: on the lookout for landmarks that would help to orient her. After a few moments spent scanning her surroundings, she determined that they were on the east side of Vesuvia, near the Temple District. People were just waking up for the day and they were trickling steadily out of their homes into the streets. Muriel shied away from the scene, his shoulders rising almost to his ears.

Cadenza turned her head and looked Muriel up and down: his entire body seemed to be tense. “Are you quite all right?” she asked, nudging his arm.

“It’s….” Muriel huffed, cutting himself off, and tugged at his cloak so that it wrapped more tightly around him. “I’m not a fan of crowds.”

“Well, neither am I, _but._ ” Cadenza cocked her head to the side and waved a hand in front of them. “There are hardly any people out right now, and I guarantee you that they’re all more concerned with themselves than us.”

“Still more people than I’m used to,” Muriel grumbled, taking a step back from the cobblestones.

A heavy sigh slipped past Cadenza’s lips, but she quickly recomposed herself. She arranged her features into the kindest expression that she could muster and extended one of her arms toward Muriel. “If you’re worried about getting lost, you can take my arm. Asra and I often walk together arm in arm when things get hectic, especially at the market.”

“I’m not worried about getting lost!” Muriel spluttered, turning bright red. He wouldn’t even look at Cadenza’s arm. “We’re not walking arm in arm anywhere. Just. You try not to get lost, either.”

With that, Muriel turned on his heels and started walking toward an empty alley, they tips of his ears still flushed red. The rejection did not offend Cadenza in the slightest, in fact, she was relieved. Muriel was still unfamiliar to her and she preferred to keep her distance from others until she knew them well. With a shrug of her shoulders, Cadenza followed after him and fell into step alongside him after running a little bit to catch up. Muriel only seemed mildly displeased when she reappeared beside him.

The alleyways were quieter than the main streets, something that Cadenza appreciated almost as much as Muriel. They gave each other a wide berth as they walked along, their footsteps echoing off of the walls of the buildings that rose up toward the sky on either side of them. Although she would never admit it out loud, Cadenza quite enjoyed Muriel’s silent company. She, herself, was not one to run her mouth if she didn’t have something of note to say and she liked that he seemed to be the same.

“Hey you!” a loud, gruff voice called out from behind Cadenza and Muriel, putting an end to the peace.

Muriel pointedly ignored whoever had just shouted at them and kept his gaze fixed ahead of him as he continued walking only to be intercepted by a willowy ruffian twirling daggers within a few steps. “I believe my acquaintance was speaking to you,” she said, grinning. “Rude to ignore him.”

Cadenza started to take a step back only to jolt when she bumped into a stockier ruffian who had crept up behind her. “Yeah, hey!” the man crowded, glaring at Muriel. “That hurt my feelings!”

“How about you hand over your stuff, and we’ll forget all this happened?”

The pair of thieves leered at Cadenza and Muriel, their eyes glittering with greed. Muriel looked from one to the other, and then sighed quietly. He turned his pockets out without any hesitation, stray twigs clattered onto the cobblestones and a single feather floated down to rest on them. The two ruffians looked at the items in awe and disgust, evidently unsure of what to make of their bounty, before turning their attention to Cadenza—who had folded her arms firmly across her chest.

“All right, your turn.” The more willowy of the pair pointed the end of one of her daggers at Cadenza. “Turn it all over, and it had better be good this time.”

Cadenza’s stomach lurched and she clamped her lips together in order to hold in the nervous burp that had risen up to her mouth. She felt as though her heart had leapt into her throat and for a few seconds, the only thing she could imagine was how easily the wicked, glinting blade that the ruffian wielded would sink into her soft, freckled flesh. She swallowed hard. Turning everything over to the thieves would mean giving up her stash of spices, her deck of cards that helped her identify her feelings, and Asra’s Tarot deck.

The raven-haired magician had a decision to make. An important one, at that. She was willing to hand over the vials of spices that she kept stashed on her person—she could live with not being able to taste food very well when she was out and about until she was able to refill her stores. She was not willing to hand over her deck of cards, however, as they were helpful and had sentimental value given that they had been a gift from her aunt. She was even less willing to hand over Asra’s Tarot deck. It was not something for _her_ to give up, after all.

“Hm.” Cadenza hummed thoughtfully as she straightened out to her full height and stepped in front of Muriel. She gazed into the willowy ruffian’s eyes evenly. “I think not.”

Muriel lowered his head, his breath ghosting across the shell of Cadenza’s ear. “What are you doing?” he hissed.

“Standing my ground.” Cadenza resisted the urge to look at Muriel since she couldn’t risk taking her eyes off the dagger-wielding ruffian for a second. “And protecting you.”

“ _W-Why?_ Cadenza, just-”

Before Muriel could finish his thought, the ruffians burst out laughing. “All right, we can definitely do this the hard way.” The willowy ruffian nodded at her partner in crime. “Betruc?”

Betruc, the stocky man who had crept up behind Cadenza and Muriel, grinned as he pulled out his own dagger, approaching slowly. It was only then that the reality of the situation fully set in in Cadenza’s mind, and the raven-haired magician found herself at a loss regarding what to do. Her magic didn’t have any offensive applications, it could hardly even be considered defensive, in fact. And since Ribbit was not with her, she couldn’t draw on his magic to defend herself and Muriel with another spell, either. To put it bluntly, she was fucked, and left with no other option but to raise her trembling fists.

“If you come any closer, I will sock you right in the nose,” Cadenza warned, foolishly giving away her plan. Then again, she could hardly be blamed since this was her first ever fight.

“Ha! Did you hear that, Betruc? She’ll ‘sock me right in the nose’! I don’t think anyone we’ve ever robbed has used that line on us.”

“There’s a first time for everything.” Betruc inched closer to Muriel, sizing him up with his beady eyes. “Do you have any lines you want to try out before I stab you?”

Muriel opened his mouth like he wanted to answer Betruc only to be interrupted by a stern, impatient voice that rang out behind them. “Move. You’re in my way.” A woman wrapped in furs and leather stood in the alley, her fingers wrapped tightly around a spear.

The willowy ruffian scoffed. “Now, we can’t do that—we’re a little busy here. If you’ll wait over there, though, we’ll get to mugging you next.”

The woman sighed, setting her travelling pack down before pulling a small whetstone out of it. She started to sharpen her spear, her cold gaze fixed on Betruc and his associate. A silence fell over the alley and Cadenza was certain that she would have been able to hear a pin drop… if one happened to drop a pin nearby. She still had her fists raised in front of her, but she was no longer looking at the willowy ruffian: she was looking directly at the unusual woman who had interrupted her and Muriel’s would-be robbers.

“Uhh, Leesi?” Betruc called for his willowy associate’s attention with a slight waver in his voice. “What’s she doing?”

“Now, I don’t rightly know.” Leesi frowned. “Excuse me, old lady, we told you to back off?”

The woman gave the ruffians a thin, wry grin, and put the whetstone away. “I was simply sharpening my spear, so that it pierces easily through your flesh. It is _such_ a hassle to fight with a blunt weapon.”

“That is a very concerning statement that you just made right there. Get ‘em, Betruc!”

The pair of ruffians rushed the woman, their daggers out, but it was over before Cadenza was even able to jump fully out of the way. The woman knocked both thieves down to the ground with a single sweep of her spear. Betruc was the first of the two to scramble back to his feet, flailing his dagger wildly, only to be effortlessly disarmed in seconds. The woman threw him down next to his partner—he and Leesi were both panting and bruised. She raised her spear like she wanted to deliver a final blow, but paused when she saw Cadenza flinch.

“You’re not worth the time to kill. Get out of my sight.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.”

Betruc and Leesi scampered off with their metaphorical tails tucked between their legs, not looking back. The woman spat on the ground before turning her attention to Muriel. “Pathetic. Why didn’t you fight?” When he didn’t answer her, she barked: “Speak when you’re spoken to, boy.”

“Why would I fight?” Muriel shook his head, shying away from the woman’s scorching gaze. “It’s easier to give in.”

“At least one of you has guts.” The looked at Cadenza. “You’d do well to teach your friend here to fight back. The world doesn’t wait for cowards.”

The woman stalked off without another word, leaving Cadenza and Muriel alone in the alley. Her heart still pounding in her chest, Cadenza wondered who the woman could have been as she did not appear to be from Vesuvia. Her accent was also quite distinctly different from that of native Vesuvians—it was more harsh, almost guttural. The danger passed, Cadenza lowered her white-knuckled fists back down to her sides and looked over at Muriel, who was trembling slightly as he placed his twigs and feather back into his pockets.

“How are you feeling?” she asked cautiously.

Muriel still jumped at the sound of Cadenza’s voice, swallowing hard as he looked away. “Fine. I’m fine.”

Cadenza raised an eyebrow, stared at his trembling hands. “You don’t look it.”

“Well, I _am._ ”

Cadenza pressed her lips together thoughtfully and shook her head. “Come on, let’s go somewhere more quiet. What just happened was frightening—I’m a bit shaken as well.”

Muriel blinked and stared at Cadenza, uncomprehending. “What?”

“You seem upset, I’m upset, and I know a place where we can take a moment to collect ourselves in peace.”

“Not necessary.” Muriel snorted. “I’m fine.”

He turned, starting to walk away again only to freeze when a crash sounded from up ahead. Cadenza’s own heart started to beat harder in her chest and she, too, froze in breathless and fearful anticipation of whatever was going to happen next. Had Betruc and Leesi just been waiting for the woman to leave before returning to finish what they had started? A stray cat darted across the path, escaping from the boxes that it had tipped over, and Cadenza sighed audibly in relief. Muriel, on the other hand, was still tense all over.

Cadenza moved closer to him and held out her arm, nudging his bicep with her elbow. “ _Dai._ We both need a break.”

“Okay.” Muriel nodded slowly and moved his arm to link it with Cadenza’s. “Lead the way.”

✧ ✧ ✧

It wasn’t long before the pair arrived at the entrance of Tea and Tasseography—Cadenza’s shop, which had been named by her aunt and had once been owned by her as well. The familiar sight of the items in the display window and the sign that hung over the door comforted the raven-haired magician greatly, and she relaxed her shoulders for the first time since the anxiety-inducing encounter with the ruffians. Unlike the last time she had come around the shop, the door was firmly shut, but Muriel eyed it with consternation nonetheless.

“This is your house,” he pointed out.

Cadenza furrowed her brow. It was obvious where they were… was it not? “Yes,” she answered tentatively.

“Why are we at your house?”

“Because it’s quiet.” Cadenza walked up to the door, dug around in her pockets for her keys in order to unlock it. “Now, come inside and I’ll make us some tea.”

The offer seemed to catch Muriel off guard. “You’d… let me in?”

“I just said that I would.”

“Oh.” Muriel’s cheeks flushed. “I’ll try not to break anything.”

After a brief pause during which Muriel appeared to be trying to collect himself, he followed Cadenza through the front door; ducking slightly so as to not bang his head against the frame. He picked his way through the shop carefully, keeping his distance from anything that looked fragile. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he toed off his boots and crept up the creaking wooden steps a few paces behind Cadenza—who had removed her own shoes and was now in her mismatched, colourful socks.

The raven-haired magician led Muriel into the small kitchen off to the right of the upstairs landing. It was a comfortable enough size for Cadenza and Asra, especially since they were rarely able to eat their meals together anymore, but it was a little bit cramped for her and Muriel together. She did not remark upon this out loud, however, she merely got to work preparing the tea while Muriel settled on a chair at the table: the back of his chair ended up being pushed against the stove, but he didn’t complain.

“I haven’t been up here in a long time.”

“Define ‘a long time.’”

Muriel glanced away, uncomfortable. “I don’t know. Years.”

The corners of Cadenza’s mouth turned down and a crease appeared between her brows as she grew pensive. “Did I prepare tea for you back then, too?”

“Yeah. Among other things.”

“What sort of other things?” Cadenza asked, her temples were pounding.

Muriel shook his head and fixed his gaze on his hands. “No, I… I know about your headaches. I’ve said enough.”

Before Cadenza could say anything else, the stove salamander emerged from the stove and climbed into Muriel’s lap. The raven-haired magician sighed, the pounding at her temples was already subsiding. “Careful,” she warned. “He spits sparks when he snores. Or if he’s just feeling naughty.”

“I don’t mind.”

Cadenza shrugged and got back to work preparing the tea. She eventually had to scoop the stove salamander off of Muriel’s leg, tickling it until it breathed a plume of flame at the bottom of the teapot. With the water heating, Cadenza deposited the stove salamander on Muriel’s knee, where he settled in for a nap. The silence that had settled over the three of them was only broken when Cadenza placed a steaming mug on the table in front of Muriel with a soft _thud._

“Would you like milk or sugar, or something?” Cadenza asked, waiting to settle into her own chair.

“Why would I want that?”

“People usually want those things when they have my tea.”

Muriel just shrugged and took a sip of the tea. He didn’t react visibly to the taste, something that people usually did when they tasted any number of Cadenza’s brews. With a shrug of her own, Cadenza finally sat down in the chair across from Muriel, crossing her legs under the table. She wrapped her fingers around the ceramic mug, enjoying the warmth and the slightly smoky scent of the tea that helped her relax. She looked at Muriel through the haze of steam rising up from her tea, watched his shoulders drop, and waited for him to say something. Or nothing at all—Cadenza was all right with that, too.

“You’re not what I expected,” Muriel said softly after a few more minutes of silence had elapsed.

Cadenza leaned forward in her seat, gold-flecked gaze sparking with curiosity, and Muriel blushed. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Just… some people talk too much. You don’t.”

“I don’t see the point in speaking if I have nothing of note to say.” Cadenza waved a hand in the air. “I don’t believe in filling every minute of my every day with noise.”

“That’s a good philosophy.”

“Thank you, I think so, too.” A smile tugged at Cadenza’s lips, but it quickly faded as she grew thoughtful. Their encounter with the would-be thieves was still on her mind, as was the woman who had essentially rescued them. “I wonder who that woman was back there. She didn’t look like she was from Vesuvia.”

Muriel scowled and took a measured sip of tea. “She wasn’t.”

“You recognized her?”

“Not her—her clothes.”

For a few moments, Cadenza waited for Muriel to say something else, drumming her fingertips gently against the tabletop. When he didn’t open his mouth again, she focused on her tea again: taking long sips from her mug that warmed her from the inside out. A serious and silent Cadenza had intimidated countless others over tea, but Muriel didn’t seem uncomfortable in the slightest. They had both drained their mugs by the time Muriel spoke again and Cadenza was almost startled by the sound of his voice after that long stretch of quiet.

“… Thank you.”

“Hm?” Cadenza raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

“The tea.” Muriel scoffed softly and stood up, carefully collecting their mugs to wash them. “ _Obviously._ ”

“Yes, obviously.” Cadenza rolled her eyes but stood up as well. “You’re welcome, Muriel. Are you ready to head out?”

Muriel heaved a heavy sigh. “If we have to.”

After cleaning everything up, the pair left the shop together and Cadenza made sure to lock up behind them. Their encounter with the ruffians had rattled her more than she had been letting on, and she was silently grateful that Muriel had accepted her offer of tea as it had helped to calm her nerves significantly. Still. She couldn’t shake the image of the woman wrapped in furs and leather standing in the alley—the look in her eyes that could easily put the fear of the Gods in anyone she turned her gaze upon. Cadenza shuddered slightly and fell into step alongside Muriel once again. The day was far from over.


	6. Freshly Laundered Linen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their way to the Palace, Cadenza shows Muriel that there’s more to life than just the bare minimum needed to survive.

The scenery around Cadenza and Muriel changed slowly, shifting to colourful market stalls. Bright banners fluttered in the breeze, standing out against the peaceful blue of the sky. Travellers and locals alike walked along the waterfront, or floated along the canals in simple or elaborate gondolas. Music played in the distance, as if welcoming them to the market, and Cadenza found herself tapping her hands against her legs along with the beat; imagining how she might have jumped in with the other musicians if she had her violin with her.

A glance in Muriel’s direction revealed a distrustful expression plastered across his face, although, when Cadenza tilted her head to the side, she could have sworn that she glimpsed a sparkle of curiosity in his eyes. “I haven’t been here before,” he muttered.

“Oh, well, this is Red Street.” Cadenza waved a hand in front of them and then rested it on her hip. “It’s Vesuvia’s fashion district.”

“Fashion? You mean… everyone here is buying clothes?”

Cadenza shrugged her shoulders and looked around at the shoppers. Admittedly, there _were_ quite a few clothing shops, she purchased the vast majority of her dresses from a handful of them, but there was far more to Red Street than the textiles. Dotted in with the bolts of cloth were food stands and dining venues—many of which offered options from other cities and countries. There was a small Venterrean place nearby that always made a perfect praised lamb that Cadenza frequented every once in a while.

“Do you have something against people purchasing clothes?” Cadenza asked, nudging Muriel’s side with her elbow.

“No. I don’t know.” Muriel shook his head. “I don’t get it.”

“Let’s see if I can try to explain it, then. I buy dresses for myself here because I feel nice when I look nice. It also helps that the quality of the clothing sold here is very good—it makes for a very comfortable fit.” Cadenza let her hip jut out slightly. “Here, would you like to touch my dress? I bought this one right here. It’s so soft.”

Muriel brushed his fingers quickly across the fabric, blushing. “Yeah. Very nice.” He winced when he noticed the stains and tears in the skirt and sleeves. “Are you gonna have to replace this one?”

Cadenza looked down at herself and frowned. “I don’t like to throw things out, so I’ll try my best to get it cleaned and mended. I won’t cry if I don’t manage to salvage it, though—I have plenty of other dresses back at the shop.” She cracked a smile. “Some of which might be the very same colour as this one.”

“That’s, um, good. Good for you.”

When Cadenza didn’t add anything else to keep the conversation going, Muriel shuffled to stand to the side with his head slightly bowed: slowly surveying everything with a grumpy expression. Cadenza craned her head in an attempt to meet his mossy-green gaze and she thought that she glimpsed something gentler in it before he furrowed his brow. Still, there was no hiding from Cadenza. The raven-haired magician followed Muriel’s original line of sight to a small booth that was set out of the way of the main foot traffic. It was nearly overflowing with scarves in a variety of brilliant colours.

“Do you want one?”

Muriel blinked and looked at Cadenza, startled. “W-What?”

“A scarf. Or something else from the booth.” Cadenza raised her eyebrows. “ _Do you want one?_ ”

Muriel scoffed and folded his arms. “Why would I want one?”

“I literally just explained this: it’s something nice to have, it’s also soft and a practical item of clothing to own. Gods, we’re talking about a scarf, it’s not like I’m asking you to invest in a gondola.”

“Yeah, I… still don’t get why you’re asking me.”

Cadenza pushed down her mounting frustration with Muriel by taking a deep breath and striding over to the booth with a determined step. If Muriel didn’t understand the appeal of a scarf, she supposed that she would just have to help him along. The hermit reached for the magician who had pretty much dragged him into town, his fingertips just missing her arm, and watched helplessly with a blush tinging his cheeks as she approached the booth and struck up an easy conversation with the vendor.

“Good afternoon, I’m looking for a scarf,” the raven-haired magician stated her business plainly, casting a look over her shoulder at Muriel before meeting the vendor’s gaze once more. “Might you be able to help me?”

“Yes, yes, my selection of scarves is quite extensive. Are you looking for any specific sort of scarf?”

“Something simple and warm. Not too flashy, please.”

“Ah, may I presume that you’re purchasing this scarf as a gift for a friend?” The vendor smiled at Cadenza, eyeing her dress. Even though it was in a poor state, it was still vibrant and elegant.

Cadenza blinked, caught off guard by the question. “Erm, I suppose you _could_ say that I am making this purchase for a friend. Although, ‘friend’ might be too strong a word for what we are to each other, I think.”

“That’s fair.” The vendor nodded. “Pardon me for asking, I was just curious. I think I can definitely find something for your, um, _not-friend._ ”

With that, they ducked down—briefly disappearing from view—and stood back up with a basket in their arms which they then offered to Cadenza. The raven-haired magician leaned in to examine the merchandise more closely. She silently wished that Ribbit was there with her as she did: he was much better than her at picking out gifts for others, something about him being a better listener or observer, and whatnot. She flicked scarves out of the way with her index finger, shaking her head until she saw a scarf that might as well have had Muriel’s name embroidered on it.

The scarf that she drew out of the basket was a dark, muted green that looked warm and felt oh-so soft against her palms. This was the one. She thanked the vendor and handed them a few more coins than was probably necessary (she had never been particularly good with money or mathematics) before making her way back over to Muriel, who was still standing stock-still in the street just a few paces away from the booth. Cadenza handed the scarf off to him without ceremony, but rather than wrapping it around his neck, Muriel stared at it and Cadenza suspiciously. 

“… Why.”

“Why not?” Cadenza fired back, raising an eyebrow.

Muriel let out a _huff_ through his nose. He stroked the fabric cautiously, feeling its softness against his palm and fingers. He blinked slowly and looked at Cadenza through his eyelashes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s yours.”

A blush painted Muriel’s cheeks as he wrapped the scarf around his neck, conscious of the fact that Cadenza was tracking his movements with those gold-flecked eyes of hers. “So,” he muttered. “People just come here and buy very soft things to wear?”

“Yes.” Cadenza offered her acquaintance a rare, soft smile. “Or they get some food, or just spend time together. It’s a way to pass the time.”

Muriel frowned. “I thought there would be more violence.”

Cadenza was caught off guard and her eyebrows shot up briefly. “Violence?”

“The Coliseum.” Muriel nodded in the direction of Goldgrave. “That’s how people used to entertain themselves here: blood and sport.”

As far as Cadenza knew, the Coliseum had stood abandoned for years and was frankly falling into a state of disrepair. It was impossible to ignore, however. The imposing structure stood at the very heart of Vesuvia and cast a long shadow on the other buildings located in Goldgrave. The raven-haired magician tended to give it a wide berth whenever she passed through the area. The few times that she had skirted its perimeter, she had been filled with a cold dread and she had thought that she was going to be physically ill. Muriel, too, seemed wary of the Coliseum, but it sounded as though there was some animosity there as well.

“It’s not like that here,” she said in an attempt to reassure him. “It’s safe.”

Muriel scoffed and shook his head. “I doubt that.”

“Let me prove to you that not all of Vesuvia is like that place.” Cadenza held her arm out to Muriel. “Can you trust me for just a little while longer?”

Although Muriel looked hesitant, he took Cadenza’s arm regardless, his cheeks flushed red and his eyes stormy as his companion started to lead him. “Where are you taking me now?” he asked under his breath after a couple of seconds.

“That depends on where you would like to go.”

“I’d like to go home.”

“ _Tsk._ Sorry, that’s not an option.”

Muriel heaved a heavy sigh and looked around, his brow still furrowed. “You decide then. I don’t know where I am.”

Cadenza’s step faltered briefly when she turned her attention away from Muriel and to their surroundings, instead. She could still hear music ahead of them and since it was her opinion that any place with music was a good place to be, she followed it; dragging Muriel along with her to the square. This particular square was fairly small and appeared smaller still given the sheer number of food stalls that had set up shop there for the day. One vendor shouted cheerfully about their candied violets, another hollered about half-off halva. Cadenza noted that Muriel paused as they passed the eel stand—tugging her arm in the process.

“Do you want some eel?” Cadenza asked without missing a beat.

“What?” Muriel jumped a little upon being addressed. “No. I mean, I don’t have any money.”

Cadenza pulled out her money pouch with a shrug. “That’s not nearly as big a problem as you think it is—I can resolve it quite easily, in fact.”

“What are you doing?” Muriel reached for Cadenza’s arm as she pulled away from him, when she started toward the eel stand. “ _Cadenza,_ ” he whispered after her, not wanting to raise his voice. If she did hear him, she pretended not to.

The raven-haired magician was back in moments with the eel on the stick that she had just purchased. She held it out to Muriel with one hand and stored her money pouch away with the other. “Here you go.”

Muriel blushed, but accepted the snack. “What do I owe you?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

“I meant exactly what I said: nothing. Consider it a gift.”

“Oh.” Muriel glanced away, evidently flustered. A few seconds elapsed before he brought the eel to his mouth to sample it, albeit timidly considering how intensely Cadenza was gazing at him. “It’s, um, acceptable,” he murmurs.

The pair walked away from the stall and stopped in the shadows of some nearby pillars, far enough away from the bustling crowd. Cadenza watched as Muriel raised the eel to his mouth for another bite, unsuccessfully hiding the smile on his lips that time around. Cheerful music seemed to be coming from all directions as more musicians set up in different corners of the square. It was the sort of day that would prompt Cadenza to close the shop in order to enjoy it. A cursory glance over at Muriel revealed that he appeared to be enjoying himself, too. Or that he was at the very least more relaxed than earlier.

“I suppose this isn’t so bad,” Muriel said. He looked at Cadenza and offered her the eel on the stick. “Would you like a bite?”

“Thank you for the offer, but no.” She offered him a tight-lipped smile. “I learned a while ago that I can’t really taste fish unless it’s prepared in specific ways.”

“You still have problems with your sense of taste?” Muriel asked only to press his lips together as soon as the words left his mouth.

Cadenza’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by ‘still’?”

“Nothing, I wasn’t thinking.” He took another bite of eel and fidgeted with the tassels of his scarf, and Cadenza decided not to press him for information. The longer he touched his scarf, the deeper his frown became. “Scarf… eel… it’s too many things.”

“It’s literally two things.”

“Two things too many.” Muriel nodded to where Cadenza stored her money pouch. “You should save your money for more important things.”

“It’s _my_ money.” Cadenza’s expression was defiant as she gazed up at Muriel. “That means I can spend it on whoever and whatever I want—today, that just so happened to be you.”

“You don’t make any sense.” Muriel shook his head and lapsed into silence that Cadenza had no desire to break as he finished his eel. When he was done, he straightened awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. “Thanks, I guess. We should, um.” He cast a nervous glance in the direction of the Palace. “We should probably get going, though.”

“Right.” Cadenza offered Muriel her arm once more and her stomach growled at the exact moment that he took it. “I’m, ah, looking forward to the spread that Nadia will set up for us when we arrive.”

Muriel offered Cadenza a tense smile. “I’m glad _you_ have something to look forward to.”

His tone was somewhat clipped and awkward, but Cadenza paid no mind to it. Rather, she started walking determinedly toward the Palace. She was, after all, in Nadia’s employ and it would be unprofessional to show up at an odd hour. A comfortable silence settled over Cadenza and Muriel as they walked, and it was easy to forget the things that they had been through and seen only yesterday for a while. It was only when they reached the steps leading up to the Palace gates that a nervous energy settled over them once again. It was only then that Muriel, specifically, paused to stare uncertainly at the long stairway.

“Is something wrong?” Cadenza questioned, doing her best to resist the anxious urge to bounce on her heels.

“The Countess won’t believe me.” Muriel sounded so certain, like he was stating a fact, and Cadenza frowned.

“How on earth do you know that?”

“Because….” It looked as though Muriel was having a hard time forming the words. He gave up, sighing. “People don’t listen to me,” he eventually stated, simply.

“ _I’m_ listening to you. Do I not count?”

Muriel raised an eyebrow and shot Cadenza a deadpan look. “No. You don’t.”

Cadenza massaged her temples as she thought of something to say—anything to potentially reassure Muriel. “If you’re so concerned that Nadia won’t listen to you, I promise that at the very least, she will listen to _me._ This is my job, Muriel, this is what she told me to do.”

“Exactly. It’s _your_ job.”

“Yes, it’s my job because she trusts me to get it done.” Upon hearing herself speak, Cadenza realized that her tone was veering into a harsh territory and did her best to soften it when she spoke again. “She trusts me. Can _you_ trust me when I say that I’ll make sure that she listens to you, too?”

Muriel exhaled slowly. “… For today.”

“That is all I ask of you.”

With a tenuous agreement struck, the pair started to climb the stairs up to the Palace. This time around, the silence that settled over them was not so much comfortable as it was out of necessity. The climb was long and arduous, and it was better to save their breaths so as to not run the risk of embarrassing themselves in front of the guards when they reached the gates. Although, as it turns out, they would have had the time to catch their breaths since the guards were engaged in conversation with another visitor when they arrived: an imposing woman holding a spear and wrapped in furs.

Cadenza nudged Muriel and whispered to him: “Am I seeing things or is that the woman from the alley?”

Muriel swallowed hard and answered without tearing his gaze away from the woman and the guards. “You are _not_ seeing things, that is definitely her.”

“I’m sorry, we can’t just let anyone walk in after hours,” one of the guards was saying to the woman. “Come back tomorrow.”

“You’ll break the rules for me,” the woman barked.

“Ma’am, we can’t do that.” The other guard approached the woman slowly and extended an arm like they wanted to usher her away from the gates only to pull back when she bared her teeth at them. “Please, um, please step aside.”

“We shouldn’t be here…,” Muriel said out of the corner of his mouth.

“I’ll take care of things, everything will be all right.” Cadenza started to approach the gates and the guards’ eyes lit up in recognition. Unfortunately for all of them, the woman was still demanding their attention.

“You go in there and you tell whoever is in charge who I am,” she snapped, pointing her spear at the guards and then at the Palace. “They’ll let me in.”

“And who might you be, ma’am?” one of the guards asked in an exasperated tone.

The woman stood tall, glaring down her nose at the guards. “I am Morga. The dead idiot that you called Lucio was my son.”

Shocked by the revelation, Cadenza took a step back and bumped directly into Muriel. She looked up at him with wide eyes, but he didn’t meet her gaze. No, his gaze was firmly fixed on Morga: Lucio’s _mother._ How was it that she had arrived at the Palace only a short while before them? And only shortly after Cadenza had started her investigation when her son had passed away three years prior? It was all bizarre, to say the least, and Cadenza’s stomach lurched when the gates opened for all of them. She got the feeling that things were only going to become more unusual from there.


	7. The Moon Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cadenza and Muriel share what they know about the spectral Lucio in the forest with Nadia and his mother, Morga.

Cadenza and Muriel sat semi-awkwardly on opposite ends of a large couch in Nadia’s salon. Morga, on the other hand, had not stopped moving since the servants had ushered them into the salon. She looked around the room derisively, a sneer fixed firmly in place. Her unpredictable pacing made Cadenza nervous, and no amount of tea sandwiches or overly-sweet pastries that she stuffed into her mouth helped to soothe her nerves. She could only hope that Nadia’s arrival would help to dissipate some of the tension that hung thickly in the air.

“Making us wait. An intimidation tactic.” Morga scoffed and stopped abruptly in front of a painting hanging near the back, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “This is a fucking joke.”

Nadia strolled in with Portia trailing behind her just in time to see Morga ripping the painting from the wall. The Countess didn’t look surprised, however, only mildly amused. “I believe that Lucio had that portrait painted in honour of you. And if I’m not mistaken, he posed for it himself.”

Morga carried the painting over to the fireplace and tossed it in without any hesitation. “And now it’s gone.” She rubbed her hands together as if to clean them of filth. “Good riddance.”

Graceful as ever, Nadia settled on a _chaise longue_ and raised an eyebrow at Morga. “Not a fan of the brushwork?”

“My people are warriors and hunters,” she spat. “Not frilly-laced weaklings in ill-fitted finery.”

Nadia reached out and poured herself a cup of tea, taking a small sip. “Finery does not exclude one from being a hunter.” It was at that point that Cadenza cleared her throat, drawing the Countess’ attention. Her ruby-red gaze softened. “Apologies for making you wait, Cadenza. I was occupied.” She glanced at Muriel. “Who is your handsome friend?”

Muriel’s cheeks coloured at the compliment, but rather than acknowledging it or thanking Nadia, he scowled and turned his head to the side in order to stare into the fire. Cadenza was also never really certain of how to respond to compliments, but she also understood that playing coy right now was of no help to them considering that they had pressing matters to attend to: namely Julian’s innocence and what they had seen in the forest. And so, Cadenza nudged Muriel gently, urging him to speak. He gave her a disgruntled look, then sighed into his teacup in defeat.

“... Muriel,” he muttered.

“A lovely name, Muriel. I am Nadia Satrinava, Countess of Vesuvia.” She smiled and extended her hand. After staring at it for a long moment, he shook it very carefully.

Morga rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. “Enough wasting time.” She banged her fist against the wall closest to her. “I am here for a reason, Satrinava, and I _will_ be heard.”

Nadia exhaled slowly. “Of course, Lady Morga.”

“I am no Lady—do not refer to me as such.”

“My apologies, Morga. Please, go on.” Despite Morga’s brusqueness, Nadia was polite as ever. “What would you like to tell me?”

“I want to talk to you about my fool of a son: Montag Morgasson, you know him as Lucio.” Morga held up a hand, cutting Nadia off before she even had a chance to speak. “Yes, I am well aware that he passed away three years ago. Since then, I have sensed nothing from him, but that changed a few days ago. He’s moving again.”

“You sensed his return?”

Morga fixed Cadenza—who had spoken out of turn—with a long stare. “He is my son. He cannot find from me, and you will find that my senses are sharper than those of most people.”

“If this is true, what does it mean?” Nadia asked. A wrinkle had appeared between her eyebrows.

“It means that he has once again joined the land of the living.” The corners of Morga’s mouth turned down further. “Although, in what capacity, I cannot say.”

Muriel snorted and everyone present in the salon turned to look at him. He flushed a little bit under the scrutiny, clearing his throat after a few seconds. “That’s why Cadenza and I are here, actually. I’ve seen him.”

Morga moved closer to Muriel, narrowed her eyes at him. “Where?”

“The forest.”

Nadia leaned forward in her seat, concern shining in her eyes. “What was he doing in the forest?”

Muriel looked away, ashamed, and after nearly a minute of silence had elapsed, Cadenza answered for him. “He killed the Heart of the Forest.”

“The Heart?” Nadia’s eyes widened. “I thought it was a myth.”

“It’s real.” Muriel looked down at his hands and stared at them like he could still see the bloodstains that Cadenza had helped him wash off the other day. “Or, it _was._ And then Lucio ripped its heart out of its chest.”

Morga let out a single bark of laughter. “Foolish boy hasn’t changed.”

The laughter felt out of place and it grated on Cadenza’s nerves, but by biting down on the inside of her cheek, she was able to keep herself from snapping at Morga. The urge was strong, but in all likelihood inappropriate and would probably only serve to stir up animosity between herself and Morga—Morga, who already seemed as though she was angry with the world. The only other person who seemed disturbed by the reaction was Muriel, who clenched his jaw and ground his teeth together. Cadenza looked over at him and resisted a secondary urge to wrap her arms around him much like Asra would whenever she was upset.

Nadia reached up and rubbed at her temples, a flash of pain coming over her face. “Let me see if I can understand this: you both have come to tell me that my husband, who I previously believed was quite dead, is not. Furthermore, he is out in the forest, killing mythical creatures and stealing their hearts.”

Muriel relaxed his jaw to speak up again. “He’s also a goat.”

“... I see.” Nadia closed her eyes. “Portia, could you fetch me some wine, please?”

Portia startled from her spot close to the window and stood up straight. “Yes, milady! Right away!” she said before hurrying out of the room.

Once Portia was gone, Nadia turned toward me. “Cadenza, what are your thoughts on this matter?”

The raven-haired magician shook her head. “I think there’s more to this.” She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “He’s not a ghost, but he’s not alive, either. And his form... I’ve never seen anything like it. Unless Lucio was secretly a goat this whole time, I cannot explain it.”

When Portia returned, Nadia took a moment to take a long drink of wine. After she set her glass down, she rose to her feet and cleared her throat. “It seems we will need to hunt Lucio down in order to get answers.”

Morga rose to her feet as well, grabbing her spear. “Then we see eye to eye on this, Satrinava.” She scowled. “He escaped my justice once. If he’s up to something, I _will_ put a stop to it.”

“With all due respect, Morga,” Nadia said as calmly as she could all things considered, “as much as he was your son, he was my husband. If he is out there in the forest, I would very much like to confront him as well.”

Morga looked Nadia up and down, silently appraising her. Eventually, she nodded firmly. “We hunt tomorrow morning, then.”

“Tomorrow morning.” Nadia nodded in turn. “I’ll have a room prepared for you.”

“No need. You Northerners’ beds are too soft—I’ll find my own lodging.” Without waiting for a response, Morga turned on her heel and stalked out of the salon.

“Well,” Nadia sighed. “She’s friendly, isn’t she?” She glanced over at Cadenza and Muriel, laughter twinkling in her eyes. Her face fell mere moments later, however. “I should apologize, Cadenza. This certainly complicates the manhunt that I sent you on.”

Cadenza tucked loose curls behind her ears and sat up a little straighter upon being addressed directly by the Countess. “Speaking of the ‘manhunt’ that you sent me on... I have reason to believe that Doctor Devorak is _not_ responsible for what happened to your ex-husband.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Surprisingly, Muriel spoke up without any prompting from Cadenza. “It’s true. The night of the murder... I was, um, I was there.” Upon hearing this new revelation, Nadia sat back down and leaned forward, her attention squarely on Muriel, who shied a little. “That id- er, Julian—he was in the dungeons that night. I was supposed to escort him to Lucio’s chambers, but by the time we arrived, his room was already on fire.”

Nadia threw her hands in the air. “But the man confessed! He pled no contest.”

Muriel shrugged. “I have no idea why he did that, but he didn’t kill Lucio... if Lucio is even dead.”

“Are you okay, milady?” Portia asked nervously when Nadia rubbed her temples again.

“It’s just a headache, Portia,” the Countess replied, but she allowed her to help her to her feet, nonetheless. She took a deep breath. “I will be fine, but I have much to think about tonight. Thank you for your hard work, Cadenza. _Muriel._ ”

Muriel shot to his feet and stepped in front of Nadia. “Wait.”

Nadia raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

Muriel rummaged through his cloak and pulled out one of the small bags of herbs that he had prepared back at the hut. He offered it to Nadia—who took it and examined it with interest—somewhat sheepishly. “There’s a spell. It makes people forget me. If you keep this, though, you won’t forget.”

“I see.” Nadia smiled softly at Muriel. “Thank you. Would you mind terribly if I shared this with Portia? She is my most trusted servant.”

Muriel stared at Portia—who seemed to be trying very hard to look trustworthy—for a long time. Eventually, he nodded. “Fine. But no more than that.”

“Of course, Muriel. I would not betray your trust.” Nadia handed Portia the bag of herbs in order to clap hands together. “Now! You both must be quite tired. Muriel, you may take the room beside Cadenza’s—I shall have a servant prepare it. Tomorrow, I’d like for both of you to join myself and Morga on the hunt. Until then, rest well.”

With that, Nadia and Portia left the salon; leaving Cadenza and Muriel alone. Almost as soon as the Countess was out of sight, Muriel collapsed to sit on the nearest piece of furniture as though the brief interaction had relieved him of all his energy. A slightly tense silence settled over the raven-haired magician and her companion, and the former observed the latter as he plucked a cookie from the tray on the table. He nibbled it gingerly, as though he was afraid that it was poisoned, and although he had no negative reaction to it, he did not finish it. Rather, he practically crumbled it into dust thanks to his nervous fidgeting.

“She believed me,” he murmured after a few minutes, his tone betraying disbelief. “ _She believed me._ ”

“Told you so.” Cadenza stood up and stretched her arms over her head while Muriel shot her an annoyed look. “We should get to bed—I have a sneaking suspicion that tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

Muriel rolled his eyes but stood as well. “Yeah.”

“I can show you the way to our rooms.” Cadenza offered Muriel her arm. “It’s easy to get lost in here.”

“No, thanks.” Muriel breezed past Cadenza and started down the hall. “I can manage on my own.”

“Is it your intention to take the scenic route? If not, you’re headed the wrong way.”

The raven-haired magician allowed herself a smug smile when Muriel stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly. He kept his gaze turned to the floor as he fell into step alongside Cadenza, but she still managed to glimpse the red tinge in his cheeks without going at all out of her way to look for it. The pair lapsed into a semi-comfortable silence as they walked the halls of the Palace. For a brief moment in time, they might have been able to pretend that they were the only two people there considering the quiet. For a while, the only sound to keep them company was that of Cadenza’s sandals slapping against the cool floors.

“... So,” Muriel said, breaking the silence. “You’ve been staying with the Countess.”

Cadenza nodded. “For a few days, yes. Nadia invited me to stay here while I worked for her.”

Muriel fiddled with the fringe of his scarf and kept his gaze fixed on the floor. “What kind of leader is she?”

“That is a very non-specific question and I am uncertain of where to even begin answering it. Would you mind elaborating what you mean?”

“I mean... no murderous tendencies or warmongering, or ugly gold statues?”

Cadenza shrugged. “Not that I’ve noticed, but I must admit that I’ve had other things on my mind recently so it’s possible that I may have missed something,” she replied, only semi-sarcastically. “Why do you ask?”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s just-” Muriel sighed heavily and scratched the back of his neck. “She was always nice to me before.”

“‘Before’?” Cadenza perked up at the mere mention of the past. “Have you met Nadia before today?”

Muriel looked around like he wanted to retreat from the current line of questioning. “That’s none of your business.”

“It sounds like it _could_ be my business. At the very least, I can _make_ it my business.”

“Drop it,” Muriel grumbled, stopping in his tracks. “Looks like we’ve made it to our rooms. Good night.”

Despite his very clear dismissal, Muriel did not make any move toward the door of his temporary accommodations. He didn’t make any move at all, in fact. He just... stood in the middle of the hallway, as still as a statue. His gaze was no longer fixed on the floor, however. Instead, he was looking directly at the door at Cadenza’s shoulders—the door of _her_ temporary accommodations. Cadenza pursed her lips together thoughtfully. Did Muriel want company? Or was she reading his signals incorrectly? She decided to take a chance on her brooding companion.

“Would you like to stay awhile?” she asked tentatively, one hand reaching for the door handle of her room.

“Do you want me to stay?”

Cadenza shrugged again. “I’m indifferent to whether or not you stay.”

“Well, if you’re so indifferent... sure, I guess I can stay awhile.”

“All right, if you say so.” Cadenza opened the door and cast a glance over her shoulder. “Come in.”

Wearing and failing to hide a deep blush, Muriel followed Cadenza into her room: immediately taking up a spot against the wall by the door. He looked around the room nervously, almost as if the four walls were out to get him. Once he was seemingly satisfied that the walls weren’t going to fall over or that the ceiling was going to cave in, he pushed off of the wall and Cadenza watched him carefully make his was further into the room; coming to a stop by the desk upon which she had left her violin inside of its case. He rapped his knuckles lightly against the wooden surface and then looked at Cadenza.

“This room doesn’t look very secure.”

“Oh?” Cadenza quirked an eyebrow at Muriel. “And what do you propose I do about my room’s ‘security’?”

“You’re in luck.” Muriel shuffled over the window and set a hand gently against the cool glass. “My specialty is abjuration.” He glanced over his shoulder at Cadenza. “Warding magic, that is.”

“Is this your subtle way of offering a demonstration of your magic?”

Muriel shrugged his shoulders and turned his gaze back to the window. “It’s only fair.”

Cadenza strode across her room to stand beside Muriel. She cocked her slightly to the side in order to look up at him. “How so?”

“You’ve already used your magic to help me.” Muriel’s cheeks flushed. “This is me returning the favour.”

It was then that he let his eyelids flutter shut. He exhaled softly as his magic filled him, white whorls appearing in the glass beneath his fingertips and spreading across the pane toward the wooden frame. It was a spell that Cadenza recognized—it was the same one that Asra used to secure the shop. The raven-haired magician quietly wondered whether Muriel had learned it from Asra or whether Asra had learned it from Muriel. For a moment, she was tempted to ask, but she held her tongue when she noticed the tension that he was holding in his shoulders.

“Are you all right?” she asked. Her hand was hovering in the air just shy of his bicep, like she had been tempted to touch him, but had changed her mind at the last moment.

“Mm,” Muriel hummed: a non-answer.

“You’re safe here, you know.”

“I _know._ I just put up a protection spell.”

Cadenza shook her head. “That’s not what I meant—but I suppose that’s on me for not being more specific.” She touched Muriel’s arm gently. “I meant that you’re safe with me.”

Muriel scoffed and turned away from the window, pulling away from Cadenza’s hand in the process. “You’re not safe with me.”

“What do you mean?” Cadenza frowned, following Muriel with her arms folded stubbornly across her chest.

“I mean that if you’re _expecting_ me to protect you... well, I couldn’t even keep the Heart safe.” He stopped by the door, turning around to look directly into Cadenza’s eyes. “If something comes after you, I can’t stop it.”

“I don’t expect you to do anything. The only thing that I expect is collaboration, since that’s what we agreed to for the time being. And in case the meaning of the word ‘collaboration’ is lost on you, it means that we’re going to face whatever comes next _together._ ” Even though Cadenza’s tone was harsh, a smile flickered across Muriel’s lips. “ _What?_ ”

“Nothing.” Muriel shook his head, pausing in the doorway. “For someone who frowns when the word ‘collaboration’ comes out of your mouth, you sure seem to believe in it.” He looked away, fighting a smile. “You make me almost believe in it, too.”

Before Cadenza could say anything else, Muriel disappeared into the hallway. The door closed behind him with a soft _click_ and the raven-haired magician was really alone for the first time in a while. She exhaled so heavily that her shoulders slumped forward. Being around people exhausted her. Really, truly exhausted her. She ran her fingers through her tangles, picked a few extra twigs out of her hair, stripped out of her dirty dress, and changed into a lilac slip that fell down to her knees. The soft sheets of her temporary bed welcomed her eagerly when she slipped under them and she was asleep within moments of touching her head to the pillow.


	8. Like the Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cadenza and Muriel spend some time together in the Palace gardens before the hunt that neither of them are too keen on joining.

In her hurry to get into bed the night before, Cadenza had forgotten to draw the curtains and was thus awoken by early morning sunlight streaming through the window. She sat up with a low groan, rubbing bleary, bloodshot eyes. Although she had not gotten up at all during the night, she was still tired. And yet, she could not find it in her to go back to sleep now that she and her surroundings were bathed in the golden light of dawn. The raven-haired magician pushed her curls out of her face with a sigh and got dressed in the same clothes she had worn the day before—a decision that was made based on the fact that she would be venturing out into the forest again later that day.

After scrubbing a damp cloth over her face and checking her reflection briefly in the mirror, Cadenza shuffled out of her room and into the hallway. Her intention had been to go to the library and do some readings on magic that could potentially explain the former Count’s current state of being, but the thought vanished from her mind the moment she saw Muriel leaning heavily against the wall by her door with his arms folded. Cadenza craned her head toward him. Was she hearing things or was he snoring? The moment her fingers came in contact with his shoulder, he startled and blinked open his tired eyes.

“You’re awake.” Muriel sounded surprised and he looked like he was fighting the urge to yawn. “Why are you awake? It’s early.”

“Did you sleep out here?”

“I asked you a question first.”

Cadenza rolled her eyes and scoffed. “I felt sunlight on my face, got it in my eyes, and I couldn’t fall back asleep.” She raised an eyebrow at Muriel. “And now, I believe that it’s your turn to answer _my_ question: did you sleep out here?”

Muriel sighed. “I can’t sleep in strange places. I was just… making sure nothing dangerous came by in the night.”

“And you fell asleep.”

Muriel stood up, throwing his arms in the air. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

Cadenza pressed her lips together, looking Muriel up and down in silence for a few beats. A smile tugged at her lips. “Thank you,” she said in a softer tone of voice than usual. “For keeping watch outside my door, I mean.”

“It wasn’t for _you._ ” Muriel blushed and looked away pointedly. “It’d just be inconvenient if….”

“It would be inconvenient if I, what?”

“… _If you died,_ ” Muriel said just loudly enough for Cadenza to hear.

“Hm, that would be inconvenient. It still sounds to me like what you did was for my benefit, though.”

“No.” Muriel’s blush deepened. “Go away.”

“Funnily enough, ‘going away’ was my intention all along.” Cadenza looked up and down the hall. Given the hour, she imagined that everyone other than a handful of servants was still asleep and that the hunt was therefore unlikely to begin for another several hours. She met Muriel’s gaze once more. “Would you like to look around with me?”

“I don’t really want to look around this place more than I’ve been forced to.” Muriel frowned. “I especially don’t want to become _familiar_ with it.”

“Would your answer be the same if I said that we could look around the gardens, instead?”

“Does looking around the gardens mean that I can get the hell out of here?”

Cadenza couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubbled up past her lips. She nodded, her curls bouncing. “Certainly.”

“Then, by all means… lead the way.”

✧ ✧ ✧

A fresh breeze greeted Cadenza and Muriel the moment they stepped into the vibrant green that sprawled as far as the eye could see behind the Palace. It was summer in Vesuvia, which meant that many of the flowers; filling the air with their sweet, heady scents. The golden light of the rising sun streaked their skin and illuminated their surroundings—it chased away the coolness of night and caused the morning dew to evaporate into a slightly shimmering haze. After pausing for a moment to take it all in, the pair set out to look around the gardens with only the hum of the bumblebees and the sound of each other’s footsteps in the grass to keep them company. 

The further they got from the Palace, the more wild their surroundings became. Well-trimmed hedges were steadily replaced by wildflowers and unkempt bushes. The odds that a gardener had come out this far in a long time were low. Muriel, however, seemed to come alive surrounded by nature that had not been subjected to the human hand or the discerning eye of a landscaper in forever. He crouched low to the ground to examine a bush and after taking a moment to gather up her skirt, Cadenza kneeled down next to him just in time to see him pinch a vivid fuchsia petal between his fingertips.

“What’s that?” Cadenza asked.

“Wild primrose,” Muriel murmured. He cast his gaze around and pointed out a few other flowers. “Lavender. Carnation.”

Cadenza touched her fingers to the petals of a flower as well, relishing in the velvety texture. “I quite like the looks of them out here.”

Muriel snorted. “Is this your first time seeing the wild types of whatever flowers they sell at your fancy markets in the city?”

“I don’t know.” Cadenza frowned, withdrawing her hand and leaving the flower be. “I haven’t left the city for as long as I can remember. So… three years.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

It was evident that the conversation wasn’t going to be going anywhere from there, so Cadenza turned her attention to other things: namely, a clump of flowers that all had the same arrangement of petals but that varied in their colours. She wasn’t too sure what they were called, though eventually, the name “pansy” was dredged up from the recesses of her mind and she decided not to question it. While she examined the flowers on her hands and knees, Muriel plucked flowers from nearby bushes and twisted their stems together so that they formed a chain. Both he and Cadenza were distracted from their tasks, however, when a cat suddenly darted out of the undergrowth.

“What in the-”

Muriel stumbled away from the bush from which the cat had materialized, his expression betraying surprise and confusion. Cadenza, on the other hand, practically beamed at the cat, already crawling across the crass in order to get closer to her. The raven-haired magician thought that cats were wonderful animals and she often left food or treats out for the strays that inhabited the alley behind her shop. They respected her personal space, for the most part, and she respected theirs. They were truly the best… after amphibians and lizards. Smiling softly, Cadenza offered the cat her hand.

“ _Vieni qua,_ ” she whispered. “ _Vieni qua, piccola._ ”

The cat breezed past Cadenza and pawed at Muriel’s arm instead. He raised his eyebrows. “Um, what do I do?” He leaned down to put himself on the cat’s level. “What do you want?”

“She probably just wants to be scratched behind her ears or under her chin.” Cadenza laughed. “Is this your first time interacting with a cat?”

“ _No._ ” Muriel’s cheeks flushed. “I just… there aren’t many wild cats in the forest. And the ones that live in Vesuvia are sort of mean.”

Cadenza smiled. “Yes, they are—that’s why I love them.”

Muriel shrugged his shoulders and patted the cat gently on the head before proceeding with his earlier task of weaving flowers into a chain. “Mm,” he mumbled.

Cadenza sprawled out on her stomach and propped her chin up on the heels of her hands. She watched Muriel weave his chain of flowers for a few quiet moments before asking: “Where did you learn to do that?”

“Asra.” A smile tugged at Muriel’s lips. “He used to make these a lot when we were younger.” The smile faded a few seconds later as he gazed down at the crown in his hands. He shook his head. “What a waste of time.”

“You made an effort,” Cadenza said, reaching for Muriel’s hands only to withdraw when she realized what she was doing. “That can never be considered a waste.”

“Hmph. What do you know?”

“In case you didn’t know, I’m also a musician—a violinist, to be precise—and I compose many of my own scores.” Cadenza took the flower crown from Muriel’s hands and placed it on top of his head. “If I hadn’t internalized that attitude that time invested is always time well spent, I doubt that I ever would have been satisfied with any of my compositions.”

“W-Whatever. That doesn’t make any sense.” Muriel reached for the crown of flowers on top of his head, as if to remove it, only for the cat to leap into his arms and stop him just short of doing it. “ _Hello?_ ”

The cat settled against him, purring, her eyes happily squinted. Cadenza could hear her rumbling purrs from where she was lying in the grass and the corners of her mouth turned down slightly—envious of the attention that the cat was giving to Muriel rather than her. She had to admit that Muriel had a way with animals, more so than her, which is likely what caused the cat to gravitate toward him. There was something about him that caused animals to trust him implicitly. She couldn’t put her finger on what that something was, though, and not knowing irritated her somewhat.

“What do I do?” Muriel looked at Cadenza, clearly confused. The cat continued to roll around in his arm and knead his cloak in the meantime.

“I already told you! Scratch her behind her ears or under her chin.”

Muriel tentatively scratched the cat behind one of her ears, wonder in his eyes. “Wow, she’s so soft.”

“I can imagine.”

Muriel quirked an eyebrow at Cadenza. “Are you… jealous?”

“No!” It was Cadenza’s turn to turn red. “I just thought that she would like me better than you, since I have more experience dealing with cats, and all.”

“Mm, sounds like you’re jealous.” Muriel smiled softly at the cat curled up in his lap and gently placed the flower crown that he had woven on her head with his free hand.

A comfortable silence settled over Cadenza and Muriel as they watched the cat roll around in the sun without somehow shaking the flower crown off their head. Her blue eyes were as clear as the sky above their heads that they could only barely see through the dark green canopy. Watching Muriel watch the cat with rapt attention brought a smile to Cadenza’s face. Spending some quiet time with him was almost nice. No, it _was_ nice. It didn’t feel awkward at all. Back at the shop, Cadenza clients often struggled to be quiet—which is why she accepted so few of them. But Muriel… Muriel was different.

The sound of approaching footsteps drew Cadenza and Muriel’s attention away from the purring cat who had been in the process of accepting some stomach rubs from the latter. A familiar figure emerged from the trees to the left of them moments later, her orange hair fiery in the sunlight that made it through gaps in the canopy and her blue eyes gleaming much like the cat at Muriel’s feet. Portia. The raven-haired magician wanted so badly to be able to smile at her, but her body resisted as her mind started to race. Portia’s arrival meant that it was time for the hunt and she had been dreading it more than she had initially surmised.

“There you are! I was looking everywhere for you two-” Portia cut herself off mid-sentence, staring in shock at the cat who chirped as she rolled onto her feet to trot over to her. “Pepi! Oh, my Gods, look at you! You’re a little princess!” She bent down to scoop Pepi into her arms before glancing between Cadenza and Muriel. “Did you two make a crown for her?”

“That was all Muriel. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Muriel shot Cadenza a look as he stood up, brushing cat hair off of himself. “ _Pepi_ can keep the crown. She seems to like it.”

“Thank you.” Portia practically beamed at Muriel, but quickly sobered her expression after clearing her throat. “Anyway, milady is ready to go if the two of you are as well.”

Cadenza sighed and stood up slowly, paying no mind to the grass that stuck to her dress. “Lead the way, Miss Portia.”

“‘Miss Portia,’ so formal.” She shook her head, letting out a bright laugh. “Please, you can do away with the ‘Miss.’ Just Portia will do.”

“Very well then,” Cadenza said with a firm nod, “lead the way Portia.”

With Pepi perched on one of her shoulders, Portia led Cadenza and Muriel out of the gardens and to the bridge. The sight that greeted them was intimidating, to say the least, and Cadenza’s stomach lurched. Nadia and Morga stood tall on the path of curving cobblestones, their expressions serious considering the quest upon which they were about to embark all together: tracking a spectral Lucio down in the forest just outside of the city limits. A carriage waited just a little ways away from them, a means of transportation. Cadenza did her best to swallow her nerves. This was her job—this was her duty.

“Ah, good morning,” Nadia smiled at Cadenza and Muriel. She stroked the feathers of a pink owl who stood proudly on her shoulder. “May I introduce Chandra? I thought that she might help us today.”

Chandra chirped and hopped onto Muriel’s shoulder, immediately nibbling on a piece of his hair. “Hello, Chandra,” he said sheepishly.

“We’ll see how much use she’ll be.” Morga sneered at both Chandra and Muriel. She seemed to recognize him, which shouldn’t have been possible given that she hadn’t been given any myrrh. Cadenza opted not to raise the issue.

“Shall we get started? I doubt that the forest will wait for us,” Nadia said, pretty much ignoring Morga’s remark. She pulled open the door to the carriage, ushering everyone inside.

Morga scoffed and shook her head, taking a step back from the carriage. “No, thank you, Satrinava. I’ll be faster on foot—meet me at the edge of the forest.” Before anyone could say anything, she turned on her heel and took off in a dead spring, quickly disappearing from sight.

“Well.” Nadia cleared her throat and closed the carriage door. She turned to look at Cadenza and Muriel. “Shall we?”

“Yes.” Cadenza sighed. “Let’s get going.”


	9. Meet Me in the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucio has gone south, and Cadenza and Muriel have been tapped on the shoulder to follow him… but will they rise to the occasion?

The carriage rolled to a stop just outside the forest’s borders and Cadenza could feel her heartbeat in her hands, her fingers, her ears, and behind her eyes. She had tried to mentally prepare herself for her return to it for nearly the entire carriage ride, but the only thing that she had succeeded in was making herself more nervous as she fixated on her fears. For the most part, the raven-haired magician was an unflappable sort… but she could not stand uncertainty. And right now? She had _no idea_ what was waiting in the shadows cast by the trees and the canopy overhead. Glowing red eyes and razor sharp claws made themselves at home in her thoughts, and Cadenza felt her already cool hands grow clammy.

“Took your time,” Morga said with a roll of her eyes when Cadenza, Muriel, and Nadia finally climbed out of the carriage. She was leaning casually against her spear, and after a few seconds, her gaze was drawn to the fidgeting raven-haired magician. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

Morga’s callout prompted Cadenza to draw her shoulders back and stand as tall as she could. “I _have_ seen a ghost,” she replied in a deadpan. “Your son.”

“Apologies for our delay, I didn’t imagine you would reach the forest so quickly on foot,” Nadia said, cutting into the conversation before Morga was able to reply to Cadenza’s barb. The Countess turned to look at Muriel. “Could you lead us to where Lucio killed the Heart?”

“Fine.” Muriel sounded both uncertain and relieved about getting things over with. He cleared his throat and started walking toward the tree-line, pausing briefly to look over his shoulder. “Follow me.”

The forest was silent as they crossed its threshold and Cadenza remarked with some relief that she no longer felt as though she was being watched—which had been her experience the first time she had set foot inside of it. That relief was fairly quickly replaced by a cold dread, however, when she realized that the forest was completely silent. She couldn’t hear birds in the trees or animals scurrying through the undergrowth. She couldn’t even hear leaves rustling in the breeze. Although the forest didn’t look physically different to the last time she had been there, she could feel in her bones that it had changed. It felt _dead,_ and a tentative glance in Muriel’s direction revealed a wary expression—Cadenza wondered whether he sensed the difference as well.

Eventually, the party reached the clearing where Cadenza had first come across Muriel, covered in blood and holding the Heart of the Forest in his arms. She expected to see a corpse waiting for them in the grass, but it looked as though it had been buried considering the neat plot of freshly turned earth just a little ways away from where they all stood. Wildflowers surrounded the burial site: yellow, violet, pink, and blue. Cadenza approached the grave and gently touched her fingertips to the petals of one of the flowers. She was enveloped by a warm, fuzzy feeling like sunshine after it rained, and she made the connection almost immediately. Asra must have been the one who had buried the Heart.

Muriel, too, stared at the grave for several long beats before eventually turning away with tears stinging his eyes. “It happened here,” he croaked, his voice thick with guilt and disappointment.

Nadia walked over to a splatter of dried silvery blood on the grass and knelt down to examine it. “The Heart….” She trailed off, pulling her hand away, but a tendril of red smoke followed her finger; clinging to her skin for a moment before dissipating into the grass. “This is not the work of a ghost or a man. This is something else.”

“ _You’re telling me,_ ” Muriel muttered, loudly enough that he was only overheard by Cadenza who merely shrugged at him.

It was at that point that a shadow appeared from behind a cloud, crying out as it circled down slowly toward the clearing from the sky. Cadenza covered her head with her arms on instinct, dropping to kneel in the grass all the while keeping a cautious eye on the shape that was growing bigger and bigger the closer it got to the party. She eventually recognized the large shape as an eagle—although it was unlike any eagle she had seen before as this one was nearly half of Morga’s height, with a wicked beak and sharp talons that looked like they were longer than her fingers. Once she was relatively certain that the animal meant her no harm, Cadenza stood up and lowered her arms.

“ _Jæger,_ ” Morga intoned to the bird of prey perched on her outstretched arm. “ _Jægde._ ”

Cadenza didn’t recognize the deep, guttural language that Morga spoke to the eagle, but the animal took to the sky once more at the words, so she presumed that it had been given a command to follow. The eagle’s massive wings nearly clipped some of the trees as it soared higher, circling around the clearing. Chandra, who had taken up residence on Nadia’s elbow, let out an offended-sounding chirp at the sight of the much bigger bird’s aerial maneuvers. The owl ruffled her feathers as if to make herself look larger and shuffled from side to side on Nadia’s arm in a measured attempt to attract the attention of the members of their party.

“Oh, let him show off, Chandra,” Nadia said, clicking her tongue as her familiar nipped affectionately at her ear. “You are still the most lovely bird here.”

“Shh,” Morga hissed, closing her eyes. “Your chatter is distracting.” The huntress shuddered once everyone quieted down. She tilted her head to the side, listening to something that no one else could hear. When she reopened her eyes, they flashed a deep gold for a moment before fading. “Montag isn’t here anymore. He’s left.”

“Left?” Nadia frowned. “When? _How?_ ”

Morga shook her head, her scowl deepening. “I am a tracker, not a psychic,” she spat, irritation stark in her tone. “My son has gone south. That’s all I know.”

“South…? My dear, dead husband could never make things easy for others.” Nadia rubbed her temples and a crease appeared between her eyebrows. “We cannot go traipsing off half-drawn. We need more information.”

“We could ask Asra,” Cadenza suggested. “His magical expertise is greater than mine, I’m certain he would be able to shed some light on the current Lucio situation.”

“And?” Morga raised an eyebrow at Cadenza, looking the raven-haired magician up and down. “Given that I have not seen so much as a hint of magic from you, I am not sure that I trust this ‘expert’ of yours since you are comparing his level of expertise to your own.”

“Asra’s a trustworthy and brilliant magician.” Everyone turned to look at Muriel, whose cheeks heated from the sudden attention. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other before continuing: “We’re old friends. I can vouch for him, too.” He looked directly at Morga. “Is that a good enough endorsement for you?”

“This had better not be a waste of time,” Morga practically growled, but she relented and nodded at Muriel. “Lead the way to the magician, boy.”

Shortly after falling into step behind Muriel as he led them deeper into the forest toward his hut, Cadenza thought she saw Nadia whisper something to Chandra out of the corner of her eye. When she turned around to check, however, all she saw was a pink blur flying through the trees in the opposite direction. She briefly caught Nadia’s eye, receiving a faint smile from the Countess, before turning back around to focus on the slightly uneven trail ahead of her. The party quickly lost sight of the clearing at their shoulders and Cadenza couldn’t help but feel some relief the farther away that they got from it.

The closer they got to Muriel’s hut, the more at ease Cadenza started to feel. Perhaps it was the protective charms that appeared sporadically above their heads or maybe it was the prospect of seeing Asra and Ribbit again—although they hadn’t been separated for long, the raven-haired magician had missed her friend and her familiar. When they finally reached the hut, they found Asra sitting on a tree stump just outside with Inanna’s head resting in his lap. They magician and the wolf both perked up when they saw Cadenza Muriel, and they watched curiously as the rest of the group approached.

“Make some new friends while you were gone, Muriel?” Asra asked with a foxlike grin tugging at his lips.

“They’re not friends,” Muriel grumbled, his dark eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

Nadia ignored Muriel’s comment, or perhaps she didn’t hear it, and approached Asra with a gracious smile; offering her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Asra. I have heard great things about you.”

“I-” A sad look flashed across Asra’s face, but he quickly sobered his expression as he took Nadia’s hand in his to shake it. “The pleasure is mine, Countess.” He looked over her shoulder at Morga. “Who’s your companion?”

“Morga Eirsdottir,” she answered before anyone else could speak on her behalf. “Are the introductions done or shall we keep on wasting time?”

Asra shot a quizzical look in Muriel’s direction since the hut was not his to do as he pleased with. After a few contemplative beats, the latter relented and reluctantly opened the door. “Come in, I guess.”

The hut was more than cramped with five people inside of it and a wolf, and everyone scrambled to find a place to sit or stand that would be just comfortable enough so as to not distract them from the issue at hand. Muriel stood awkwardly in the corner in an attempt to give others more room. Nadia sat primly at the table. Asra sat down on the edge of Muriel’s bed with Inanna curled up at his feet. Morga stood by the door. After a moment of hesitation, Cadenza scooped Ribbit up and moved to lean against the wall near to where Muriel stood rigidly. He shot her a look that could only be one of annoyance.

“Why’re you so close?” Muriel muttered, so quietly that only Cadenza could hear.

Cadenza raised an eyebrow and cast her gaze about the very cramped quarters. “Is there someplace else that you would like for me to stand?”

“Fair point.” Muriel folded his arms across his chest and looked at his feet. “I guess you can stay.”

“Thank you for your permission,” Cadenza replied sarcastically

Muriel opened his mouth to offer a retort only to be interrupted by Nadia. “So, Asra… you’ve been keeping an eye on the forest for the past day, correct?” the Countess asked. “Have you seen or sensed anything strange?”

“Yes, that’s correct.” Asra sighed, his shoulders deflating. “I haven’t sensed much of anything, if I’m being honest. As far as I can tell, Lucio left the forest the moment he got what he wanted: the Heart’s heart.”

“Shouldn’t surprise anyone,” Muriel said, his expression darkening as he thought back to what had happened in the clearing prior to Cadenza’s arrival. “It’s his nature to destroy things.”

Morga shook her head, a distant look in her grey eyes. “This is more than that. It is not the first time that my son has sought a heart. Years ago, he tore his father’s heart out. Tried to take mine, too. He got away from me then.” Her expression hardened. “He won’t escape this time.”

“Hearts, patricide, goats…. _Gods._ ” Nadia shook her head and scrubbed a hand over her face. “It seems there is more to my ex-husband than I ever saw.” She looked at Cadenza. “It’s thanks to your work that we have uncovered the edge of the truth and although I hate to do this… I would ask your help in uncovering the rest.” Her gaze flickered to Muriel and then back. “I need you and Muriel to follow Lucio south.”

Muriel spluttered a little, his green eyes widening in shock. “Why me?”

“I would not send Cadenza alone into the tundra—Lucio may prove a dangerous foe. But I need Asra here in the city to aid me with other matters.”

Asra sat up a little straighter. “How can I help?”

“I still need to track down Doctor Devorak. I am no longer convinced that he murdered my ex-husband… but he knows _something,_ that much I am certain of.” Nadia’s expression softened. “I would ask your help in extracting that information.”

Asra nodded tentatively. “I’ll do my best, Nadi- Sorry. _Countess._ ”

“No need to apologize, Asra.” The Countess smiled softly at him. “You may address me as ‘Nadia,’ in fact, I would prefer it.”

Morga scowled, evidently annoyed by the pleasantries, and stepped forward. “You will need a tracker in order to follow Montag’s trail.” She shot a snide look in Cadenza and Muriel’s direction. “Otherwise you’ll die in the cold like weak little babies.”

“I am frankly unsure whether you are offering your services or insulting myself and Muriel,” Cadenza said in an even tone. “Would you care to clarify?”

A smile tugged at Morga’s lips, but she quickly suppressed it. “I travel best alone, but if you can keep up with me… you can follow. From a distance.”

“I suppose all that remains are your answers.” Nadia looked at the sullen man and woman leaning against the far wall. “Muriel. Cadenza?”

Cadenza felt as though she was rooted to the spot beneath the weight of everyone’s attention. She bit her tongue in order to hold back her instinctive answer: a very firm and resounding “no.” She had no memory of anything other than Vesuvia and the thought of venturing into the tundra accompanied by two people she hardly knew made her heart rate spike with anxiety. A glance in Muriel’s direction revealed a turbulent look in his eyes and Cadenza guessed from the tense set of his jaw that he felt similarly about the prospect. Although, when she took a moment to consider the way he spoke about Lucio or even reacted to the mere mention of his name… Cadenza surmised that his hesitation to take on the task went deeper than her own.

“I think that my, erm–” Cadenza paused, searching for the right word, “– _associate_ and I will need a moment to discuss this.” She looked around the hut and instinctively started for the door. “ _Alone._ ”

Muriel seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the suggestion and he followed Cadenza out of the hut without any hesitation. The door closed behind the pair before anyone else was able to get so much as a single word in. The moment she was in the open air, Cadenza took a moment to breathe in the muted scent of the pines surrounding them in an attempt to ground herself and soothe the turmoil that had started up in her stomach. Muriel, on the other hand, immediately started to pace nervously in front of a pile of chopped wood just a few feet away from where Cadenza stood. It was impossible to miss the tension in his shoulders and the worry weighing his head down.

“What they’re asking of us… it’s a lot,” Cadenza said, all the while keeping her distance as she sensed that Muriel needed some space. “I don’t quite know how to answer, either.”

“It’s more than ‘a lot.’ It’s too damn much.” Muriel shook his head and sat down on a tree stump. “They expect us to just take off running after Lucio? That’s what he wants.”

As far as Cadenza knew, she had never met the former Count, but she found herself nodding anyway. “I have no idea what to expect from a journey such as the one we’re being asked to embark on and the not-knowing frightens me more than I care to admit.”

“You just admitted it to me.”

Cadenza moved closer to Muriel, but only to nudge him with her elbow. “I distinctly remember you saying that I don’t count when you opened up to me. Therefore, admitting things to you shouldn’t count either.”

“Fair enough.” Muriel paused and scrubbed a hand over his face. “If we stay in Vesuvia, we’re guaranteed to survive.”

“Surviving is good. But- Hm.” It was Cadenza’s turn to pause as she tried to collect her thoughts. When she spoke again, she did so tentatively. “Listen, I don’t know Lucio as well as you do, but I can tell by the way that you and others speak about him that he was not a good man. I can’t help wondering what would happen if we were to just let him run off with only his mother to keep him in check. She admitted that she has already failed once, who’s to say that she won’t fail again?”

“Whatever it is that Lucio is planning, it’s not good.” Muriel’s gaze was dark, stormy. “You can trust me on that.”

“Well, thank you for the confirmation.” Cadenza clenched her jaw and took a deep breath. “In that case, I definitely can’t stay here and pretend like everything is fine… I don’t think that my conscience would let me. I have to go after him—either to figure out what it is that he’s planning or try to put a stop to him before he can do any more harm.”

“You would go after him _alone?_ ”

“Not alone. Morga will be there, too.”

“And you think that she’ll watch your back for you?” Muriel scoffed. “No. She made it very clear how she operates. If you slow her down, she’ll leave you behind. If you get hurt, well, that’s on you because only the strong survive in the South.”

Cadenza stood up, her fists clenched at her sides. “You’re making an awful lot of assumptions.”

Muriel didn’t back down. He didn’t even blink. “So are you.”

A tense silence stretched between Cadenza and Muriel. It was eventually broken by the former. “Lucio is planning something bad, something that could hurt Gods know how many people. That’s not an assumption, that’s a fact.” She relaxed her hands at her sides and raised them in a gesture of surrender. “We all make our choices and I’ve made mine. I won’t force you into anything, Muriel, and neither will anyone else. Your choice is your own and whichever one you make, it will be the right one for you.”

With that, Cadenza turned on her heel and started back toward the hut only to stop in her tracks when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Wait,” Muriel murmured, his fingers digging gently into Cadenza. “I’ll come, but only because Asra would be furious if I let you go alone. I’m not doing you any favours. Understand?”

Cadenza nodded briskly and Muriel let go of her shoulder. “Yes. I understand.”

“Good.”

Having struck a somewhat tenuous agreement, the pair reentered the hut. The air was thick with uncertainty and electric with nerves. Everyone simultaneously turned to look at the raven-haired pair as they crossed the threshold and Cadenza wondered whether they had overheard any of the discussion that she and Muriel had had just outside. She supposed that they hadn’t, though, considering how Nadia looked like she was doing her best not to chew her bottom lip nervously. Her skin prickled as she moved to lean against the unoccupied expanse of wall that she had abandoned earlier. Did they expect them to make the announcement themselves? Or were they waiting to repeat their earlier question?

“We’ll do it,” Muriel announced grumpily once he found that he could no longer bear the uncomfortable silence.

Nadia stood from her seat at the table and stepped forward, the relief clear on her face. “Thank you. I promise that I shall provide everything that you might need. And you will be well-compensated.”

“Oh, that’s-” Muriel started to say only to be interrupted by a swift knock at the door.

“Ah, right on time.” Nadia opened the door and ushered Portia inside. Chandra swooped in moments after the handmaiden, landing on the Countess’ shoulder.

“Gods, this place is impossible to find!” Portia said, oblivious to the confused looks that were being cast in her direction. Then again, her vision was somewhat obscured by a bundle in her arms. “How do you get anything delivered?”

“Thank you for working so quickly, Portia. Do you have what I requested?”

“Right here, milady.” Portia offered up the bundle in her arms to Nadia.

“Excellent. Cadenza, Muriel, I believe these ought to fight you.” Nadia handed each of them a bundle. Upon closer inspection, Cadenza realized that she had been given a travelling cloak. “I’ve also had Portia prepare horses for your use,” Nadia continued. “They are waiting at the edge of the forest. Their saddlebags are loaded with supplies and coin for travel.”

Cadenza’s heart fluttered nervously in her chest. This was really happening. She couldn’t quite believe it. “What about my…?” She trailed off, blushing. She surely couldn’t ask for her violin at such a time.

Nadia smiled at Cadenza. “I asked Portia to personally ensure that your violin would be retrieved.”

Portia perked up upon hearing her name mentioned. “I hope you don’t mind that I tracked down a better case for it, too.”

“No, I….” Cadenza smiled at Nadia and Portia. “I really appreciate it. Thank you.”

Muriel, too, seemed like he didn’t quite know what to make of all the things that they had been offered to make their journey easier. He stared at the cloak in his hands for several long moments before mumbling: “ _Thank you._ ”

“If everyone is done spewing their gratitude all over the place,” Morga snapped, looking toward the door, “we need to leave while there’s still daylight.”

It was at that point that Asra got up to wrap his arms around Cadenza and then Muriel before backing up to smile at them. “Stay safe you two.”

“Yes,” Nadia said, her tone firm but kind. “We are relying on you.”

Cadenza and Muriel exchanged slightly nervous glances, and the former did her best to speak over the tremble that made its way into her voice when she spoke. “The confidence that you are willing to place in us means a lot.”

“Of course.” Nadia watched, fidgeting with her rings as the hunting party made their way to the door with a wolf and a sizeable frog in tow. “Good luck,” she called after them. “And happy hunting.”


	10. Holland Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After setting up camp for the night, Cadenza and Muriel strike up a conversation.

“Most people never say exactly what they mean, but...,” Cadenza trailed off, squinting slightly as she scanned the darkness for signs of life, “... I have to admire Morga for remaining stubbornly true to her word.”

Muriel frowned, adding more kindling to the small fire that he had started shortly after nightfall. “What do you mean?”

“She said that we could follow her from a distance and so far it seems like she really, truly means for us to feel it.” Cadenza snorted and leaned back on the heels of her hands, impressed. “I don’t think that I’ve seen so much as a glimpse of her since we set out from Vesuvia.”

“I told you about the ways of her people.” It was Muriel’s turn to snort as he settled down to sit on the ground, his back against a log and one knee hugged to his chest. “Did you think that she wouldn’t hesitate to put distance between herself and the two of us?”

“Oh, no, I didn’t question that she would. I have a tendency to take people at their word in the hopes that they’re being literal. Frankly, I’m pleasantly surprised that for once by expectations were set correctly.”

Muriel shook his head and turned his gaze to the night sky. “You’re an odd one, Enza.”

Cadenza tensed and her breath hitched. “You call me by that name so easily,” she murmured and her gaze was searching when it landed on Muriel’s face. “It slips from your lips with so much familiarity... who was I to you that you can call me ‘Enza’ without thinking?”

Muriel’s lips parted like he wanted to say something, but he promptly clamped them shut again; looking away. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’ll take that as a sign to mean that you know about my headaches, then.”

A long silence followed Cadenza’s question, and for a moment, she thought that Muriel might not answer. Eventually, he nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

A frustrated noise bubbled up past Cadenza’s lips and it rang out in the darkness. She curled her hands into fists so tight that they trembled. “Does _everyone_ know who I am other than me?”

“Hey.” Muriel shifted like he wanted to stand up, only to seemingly change his mind instants later. He folded his hands in his lap and looked at Cadenza thoughtfully for a few beats, the fire crackling between them. “I don’t know if this will be of any comfort to you or if I’m doing more harm than good, but... here goes.” He took a deep breath. “You’re just as straightforward as before, so, there. You’re still yourself on that front, at least.”

Cadenza relaxed her fists and hugged her knees to her chest, a soft smile tugging at her lips. Her head didn’t hurt in the slightest. “That is comforting, actually.” She met Muriel’s gaze and nodded at him. “Thank you.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled, blushing slightly under the weight of her undivided attention. “You’re welcome.”

The pair lapsed into a silence punctuated only by the sounds of the fire, the soft hooting of owls, and the rustling of nocturnal animals moving about. Ribbit and Inanna were both wide awake, as it was their nature to be more active when the night fell, but their magicians found their eyelids growing heavier and heavier the more time elapsed during which neither of them spoke. The silence was comforting, familiar, and Cadenza found herself lulled by it—the same could be said for Muriel considering the gentle nodding of his head. Cadenza’s bottom lip jutted out thoughtfully. People always tried to drown out natural silences with noise and it drove her mad. She appreciated that Muriel could admire and respect them when they came along.

“How do you cope with the uncertainty?” Muriel asked, breaking the silence. He sounded drowsy and it was clear that he was fighting to stay awake.

“Are you referring to what currently lies ahead of us or are you asking in general?”

“Um, in general, I guess.”

Cadenza sat up a little straighter under Muriel’s watchful gaze. “Worrying about the future and what it might hold is a sure way to make my thoughts spin out of my control, and I’m no good to myself or others when I’m in that state.” She ran one hand through her curls, raking them out of the way, and reached instinctively for the case in which she stored her violin; patting it gently. “I have control over my fingers, my instrument, and the music that I play. I guess that’s how I cope when I’m confronted with not-knowing.”

“Oh.” Muriel looked down at his hands, a crease appeared between his eyebrows. “Do you... never try to seek out answers?”

Cadenza laughed despite herself and raised an apologetic hand when Muriel shot her a look. “Sorry, sorry. I, erm, I suppose that now is probably a good time for me to tell you that I’m quite frankly useless when it comes to all forms of magic other than animancy.”

“You can’t read Tarot?” Muriel’s eyebrows shot up. “What are you carrying Asra’s deck around for, then?”

The raven-haired magician shrugged. “He always entrusts it to me when he travels. It’s something that passes back and forth between our hands, that’s been worn down by his fingertips. It’s something done out of comfort and habit more than anything else.”

“I see.”

“Can you read Tarot?” Cadenza asked, already reaching for Asra’s deck. “If you’re feeling nervous about what currently lies ahead of us, perhaps you can consult the cards?”

Muriel held up a hand. “Thanks, but... I can’t read Tarot either.” He reached for a pouch at his waist. “I cast runes. I prefer seeking my own answers to consulting cosmic forces that never give a straight answer.” His cheeks flushed. “Do you... want to see?”

Cadenza glanced between Muriel and the tent that he had helped her set up earlier. Eventually, she relented, and moved to sit beside him; her legs folded neatly beneath her. “Show me.”

Conscious of Cadenza’s intense, gold-flecked gaze tracking his movements, Muriel struggled to keep his question at the forefront of his thoughts. He typically cast his runes in solitude—it was easier to focus that way. But Cadenza was close to him and her proximity was keeping him from ignoring the rest of the world. The raven-haired magician’s curls tickled him under the chin as she leaned in to see what he was doing and her scent enveloped him: lemon, ginger, parchment, and varnish. Muriel shook his head and let his eyelids slide shut, repeating his question silently as he reached into his pouch; drawing out five runes and placing them gently in the grass.

With her lips pressed together thoughtfully and flames reflecting in her dark brown eyes, Cadenza watched Muriel pluck smooth stones etched with symbols from the pouch resting on his knee and place them in the grass. Although his hands were rough with callouses, he handled what Cadenza assumed were his runes with tenderness and care... almost reverence. Eventually, she turned her attention away from the runes to examine his expression more closely, taking in the crease between his eyebrows and the downward tug of the corners of his mouth. She looked away just as he reopened his eyes.

“This is a five rune layout,” Muriel said softly. “The rune that sits to the west represents the past, the one at the centre represents the present, and the rune that sits to the east represents the future. The rune that sits to the north represents help that we could receive in relation to our question and the rune that sits to the south represents elements that we need to accept.”

Cadenza had to resist the urge to touch her fingers to the smooth stones. “Is there an order that you read them in?”

“Past, present, and future are up first.” Muriel frowned as he inspected the runes. “Suffering, movement, and... chaos, the unknown.”

“Now, feel free to take this with a grain of salt since I have no idea what it is that I’m talking about or looking at, but that spread doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.”

Muriel winced and tensed his shoulders. “Well, it’s a good thing that we’re not done yet.” He eyed the northernmost rune. “Defence of that which one loves.”

Cadenza looked up at Muriel. “That sounds better.”

That magician didn’t acknowledge his travelling companion, however, he just stared at the final rune: the one that sat to the south. He swallowed hard. “Mortality.” His mouth felt dry as he uttered the word.

“Oh.” Cadenza drew her knees close to her chest and propped her chin up on them. She stared at the runes for several long moments before shaking her head. “Maybe I don’t realize how stupid I sound because I don’t know how to read Tarot or cast runes, but... do you always and without fail have to believe whatever it is that’s been shown to you?”

Muriel’s jaw twitched. “It says a damn lot.” He turned his head to look at Cadenza, his eyebrows drawn together. “You expect me to just ignore it?” he asked, panic clawing at his chest.

“You misunderstand me.” Cadenza paused to collect her thoughts so that she might speak as clearly as possible. “Sure, we can take what the runes have revealed into _consideration,_ but I don’t think that we have to resign ourselves to anything. After all, is it not up to us to forge our own path? Things are always subject to change.”

“I hate change.”

“So do I.”

Muriel cracked a small smile. “I get what you’re saying, though.” He stared at the runes for another couple of beats before gathering them up and replacing them in his pouch. “Nothing is ever truly set in stone.”

“Uncertainty,” Cadenza muttered. “It really does suck.”

Another silence settled over the pair. The fire was burning low and the night was getting darker. Stars twinkled high above their heads, more than would have been visible in Vesuvia considering that it was never truly dark in the city. Their eyelids were growing heavy again and they both fought against sleep for the sake of the other. After all, out where they found themselves, it was hardly safe for both of them to sleep at the same time—someone would need to keep watch and they were both too proud to be the first to cave. Cadenza’s blinked her eyes slowly and realized that she had leaned her head against Muriel’s shoulder—Muriel who was frozen, his hands gripping his knees so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“‘M sorry.” Cadenza rubbed her eyes and started to sit up only for Muriel to stop her.

“It’s okay. You can sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Muriel patted the raven-haired magician’s head somewhat awkwardly, her curls were bouncy and soft under his palm. “Sleep, Enza,” he whispered. “Don’t worry, I’ll wake you.”

“ _Grazie,_ ” Cadenza slurred in her native Venterrean, and then she relinquished herself to the sleep that she had been fighting against for Gods knew how long.


	11. Shrike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the night as his shield, Muriel opens to Cadenza just a little bit more about his past and about his fears.

The sun seemed to set more and more quickly with each passing day on their journey south, and the darkness that followed sunset was unlike anything Cadenza recalled experiencing. It had been half a week since they had left the forest just outside of Vesuvia and Morga had set a punishing pace in order to keep them from running even the slightest risk of losing Lucio’s trail. Shadows tinged the skin under Cadenza’s eyes. Between the bad dreams that she was never really able to recall and her tossing and turning, she was only able to get a handful of hours of sleep when they _did_ make stops. Her body felt heavy with exhaustion.

Muriel pulled his horse up beside Cadenza’s, his cheeks a little bit pink even as he stared straight ahead. “You look tired.” He sounded sluggish when he spoke, like he had either just woken up or like he was resisting the lull of sleep.

Cadenza cocked her head to the side and shot Muriel a deadpan look. “So do you.”

“I’m fine.” Muriel shook his head slightly, causing his hair to fall into his eyes. He made no attempt to brush the stray locks aside.

“Really? Because I was under the impression that you—much like me—have not been sleeping all that much.”

“That’s not exactly a new development, in my case.”

“Perhaps not, but we can’t keep going on like this: we need to stop soon. We need to get a full night’s rest.”

“Morga won’t like that.”

“I know, but I’m positive that I can handle her. I have dealt with more prickly clients than her at the shop.”

“If you say so...,” Muriel muttered, sounding wholly unconvinced.

Cadenza didn’t waste a moment spurring her horse ahead, Muriel following closely behind. They needed to catch Morga before she pulled too far ahead. Night was bearing down on them and looking for the huntress when it was so dark that no normal person could see any more than a few feet in front of them was an exercise in futility. Much to the magicians’ surprise, however, they found Morga leaning against a rotting fence; looking very statuesque as they approached. A dilapidated building stood behind her and Cadenza made the fairly logical assumption that it was an inn although it struck her as somewhat odd that there seemed to be no one else around.

“Your horses are lagging behind. Stable them here tonight.” Morga was all business, instructing Cadenza and Muriel before either of them had a chance to open their mouths. She looked the pair over with a scowl. “And get some food. You look weak.” With that, she offered them a brisk nod before turning and disappearing into the foliage.

For a few seconds, the pair of weary travellers stared after the huntress: absolutely dumbstruck that they hadn’t needed to plead their case for a break. Once the shock wore off, however, Cadenza dismounted from her horse and pulled a bag of coins from her saddlebag. She looked at Muriel and tilted her head toward the inn. “Come on, let’s head inside and get some rest before Morga changes her mind.”

Muriel’s shoulders tensed as he mulled over the decision, but he eventually relented; nodding at Cadenza before dismounting from his own horse. He landed on the ground heavily, his knees bending under his own weight, and it became clear in that moment just how the exhaustion of all the sleepless nights and days spent in perpetual motion had been weighing on him. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his back, blushing slightly under Cadenza’s watchful gaze before following her inside the inn. Unlike the raven-haired magician, he had to duck under the weathered sign that hung over the door, and which read: “The Shrieking Shrike.”

Upon entering the Shrieking Shrike, Muriel wrinkled his nose and lifted his scarf to cover it. Cobwebs and a fine layer of dust covered everything in sight. “I don’t like this,” he murmured, muffling a cough. “We should leave.”

“Leave? Perish the thought! No, no, no.... _Ahem,_ you cannot leave!”

The pair of dark-haired magicians looked around wildly for the sound of the voice and Cadenza reached into her bag to stroke Ribbit’s head, already drawing upon his magical stores should she need to defend herself from an unseen attacker. The voice seemed to be coming from the front desk, but there was no one there. With one hand still touching the top of Ribbit’s head and the other extended in front of her, magic tickling her fingertips, Cadenza moved closer to the desk and it was at that point that she finally noticed a diminutive man peering over the top of the counter. After adjusting his pair of oversized spectacles, he hopped down from a rickety stool and walked around the desk to address his visitors.

“What do we have here?” The man squinted, looking Cadenza and Muriel up and down. “Looks like two weary travellers. Why, I have just the room for you both, I do.”

“Both of us?” Muriel frowned. “We need two rooms, Mister...?”

“I’m Mr. Withers, how polite of you to ask!” He tilted his head to the side, thinking. “Ehh, two rooms, you say? Terribly sorry! We only have the one available tonight.” He leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially to the odd pair that stood in front of him. “We’re undergoing renovations on everything else.”

_Clanks_ and _clangs_ sounded in the distance, and Cadenza jolted slightly. “What on earth is that racket?”

Mr. Withers shook his head. “Construction, I’m afraid. Construction constantly.”

Cadenza cast a tentative glance in Muriel’s direction, taking in his exhausted expression and flushed complexion before taking a deep breath. They couldn’t spend another night outside, wondering what horrors lurked in the dark and fighting sleep. “We’ll take it,” she answered, her tone definitive.

“W-Wait-”

Unfortunately for Muriel, Mr. Withers clapped his hands together: cutting him off before he could finish his thought. The innkeeper produced a key, almost fumbling it in his excitement. “Excellent, excellent! You’ll be in Room One, first door up the stairs. I’ll have our stableboy take care of your horses, yes, yes. How wonderful! How excellent!” With that, he disappeared into a back room, leaving Cadenza and her companion alone.

Before the raven-haired magician really processed what it was that she was doing, she was holding her arm out at her side, her elbow bumping gently into Muriel. She had offered him her arm. Without thinking. “How bizarre,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Cadenza pressed her lips together and nodded at the stairs, but Muriel seemed as though he was determined to remain rooted in place. “Don’t tell me that you haven’t missed sleeping in a bed.”

Muriel scoffed. “I can’t say that I have, actually.”

“I don’t think that you’re being entirely honest with me right now, but I’ll let it go. We really should get some sleep. I’ll admit to you right now that I am struggling to hold myself upright.”

“Here.” Muriel tentatively wrapped an arm around Cadenza’s shoulders, although he refused to look directly at her. “You can lean on me.”

Heat crept up the back of Cadenza’s neck, but she brushed the feeling aside. “Thank you.”

“But if you take me down the stairs... you owe me.”

“Owe you what?”

“I don’t know. _Something._ ”

“I’m sure that we’ll come to an agreement on what, exactly, I would owe you if I were to take you down the stairs.”

Hiding a small smile behind his scarf all the while, Muriel held on tightly to Cadenza as she led him up the stairs that were almost too narrow for the two of them to fit. Their legs were more sore than they initially realized, and the flight of stairs turned out to be quite the challenge. When they finally reached the landing, they actually had to take a moment to lean against the wall in order to avoid slumping onto the floor and curling up to sleep right there. Once they recovered, the pair turned their attention to the door that seemed slightly crooked on its hinges and exchanged slightly nervous glances.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Muriel asked, breaking the silence.

“Oh!” Cadenza blinked, nodding her head. “I suppose I shall.”

She unlocked the door with care and pushed open the door to reveal a moderately sized room. There were no decorations to be seen, but the space was considerably less dirty than the lobby of the Shrieking Shrike. There was even a small tub hidden behind a room divider, already filled with steaming water much to Cadenza and Muriel’s bewilderment. But neither of them paid too much attention to the pre-drawn bath. No, their gazes were drawn instead to the single full-sized bed in the middle of the room. Their reactions to the sole bed, however, differed greatly.

“We can share,” Cadenza said, after only a beat or two of hesitation.

Muriel’s eyes widened. “What?”

Cadenza crossed the threshold and strode over to the bed, dropping to sit down on the edge. “We can share. It truly is not that big of a deal—I share with Asra back in Vesuvia. Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of touching, but we could build a wall out of the pillows if you don’t mind giving them up.”

Muriel just shook his head, looking as though Cadenza had told him that they could strip naked and run through the woods together, if he wanted. “I think I’d rather take the floor,” he replied, gathering up a spare blanket in his arms.

“Are you serious right now?” Cadenza stood up and moved to hover over Muriel’s shoulder, staring down at his busy hands.

“Dead serious.”

“Tomorrow, your back is going to hurt more than I’m assuming it already does.” She sighed, removing her boots before curling up on the cushiony mattress. “Suit yourself.”

“I will.”

After that exchange, the pair went about their evening preparations somewhat awkwardly as they were both trying and failing to give the other space given that the room was small and neither of them was particularly petite. It didn’t help that there was a wolf added to the mix and a sizeable frog who seemed determined to remain underfoot, too. Most of the time, the silence between them was comfortable, but tonight, the back of Cadenza’s neck prickled with nerves. Admittedly, she was not the best at reading other people’s moods, but something told her that there was something Muriel was not saying.

“... There’s something that I should tell you.”

When Muriel spoke, he did so so quietly that Cadenza almost didn’t hear him. He was sitting on the floor, surrounded by blankets, with his knees pulled up to his chest. There was something so solemn and serious about his expression in that moment, and the shadows under his eyes looked darker than ever. Cadenza set her comb down on the nightstand and wordlessly sat down on the side of the bed closest to Muriel; leaning forward and resting her chin on her knuckles to show him that he had her attention. She sat quietly, waiting for him to find the words to say whatever it was that he wanted to say. It took nearly an entire minute before he spoke again.

“I’m from the South... I think.”

There was a weight to Muriel’s words that Cadenza didn’t know how to process and she tilted her head to the side, curious. If there was some deeper meaning to the revelation, it was lost on her. “You’re not sure?” she asked.

Muriel shook his head and scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t remember much.”

Cadenza frowned. She was still confused, but she did want to try to be supportive. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“ _No,_ I just... I figured that it was something you should know. It’s been a long time since I was here, it doesn’t even matter.” Muriel shifted and hugged his knees more tightly, like he wanted to disappear behind them. “Forget I said anything.”

“I _could_ forget, but I would also like to make it clear to you that you do have the option to talk to me about it, if that’s what you wish.” Cadenza stood up and made her way over to Muriel’s corner, taking a seat directly across from him. “We can start with what you remember.”

Muriel seemed like he was contemplating the offer, his moss-green eyes tracking things that Cadenza could not see. Eventually, he sighed, his shoulders slumping forward. “I think my parents sent me away. I was young—too young to know what was happening.” He swallowed hard. “They couldn’t feed me. I was a burden. So, they gave me to a trader who left me in Vesuvia.” He looked up at the ceiling, looking like he was trying very hard not to cry. “They didn’t want me. Who would?”

“I want you around.” The words slipped past Cadenza’s lips with so much ease that she could only blush and start slightly in surprise. Still, the words rang true, and she decided that she ought to repeat herself for Muriel’s sake considering how he was staring at her in shock. “I mean it. I want you.”

“You don’t count.”

“You wound me, Muriel.”

A silence ensued Cadenza’s lighthearted jab and it was eventually broken by Muriel. “You’re not the worst company, I guess,” he grumbled, but his shoulders relaxed slightly. “Thanks for listening.” He started to turn away from the raven-haired magician. “Now forget all about it.”

“Before I ‘forget all about it,’ I would like to thank you for metaphorically letting me in and telling me about your past.”

“What? I wasted your time. It’s not like any of what I just told you will help us catch Lucio.”

“Of course it won’t help us catch Lucio, but that wasn’t the point of the conversation.” Cadenza reached out to brush a strand of dark hair from Muriel’s eyes, trailing her fingertips down his cheek before withdrawing her touch. “What you shared with me is clearly important to you and that’s all the justification that’s needed. Thank you, Muriel. Seriously.”

Muriel fixed his gaze on his own hands, curling them into fists before relaxing them. “It’s getting late,” he murmured. “You should go to bed, Enza.”

“I’m going.” Cadenza climbed to her feet and rubbed her bleary eyes, taking a moment to blow out the candles that served to illuminate their room before climbing under the covers. “Good night,” she called out into the dark and then practically held her breath in order to hear the very quiet response that ensued.

“... Good night.”

✧ ✧ ✧

Cadenza blinked her eyes open slowly, staring up at the dark ceiling of the room. It was the dead of night, or so she presumed. Why was she awake? Had she had another nightmare that she couldn’t recall? Her jaw was sore and it creaked slightly when she massaged it, but she wasn’t sweaty and Ribbit was fast asleep which told her that her sleep had been relatively peaceful. Something else had to have awoken her. As the sleep left her and her sense sharpened, a noise from the corner caught her attention and she sat up at attention. _Muriel._ The raven-haired magician squinted, trying to make out his form in the dark.

Inanna climbed to her feet and jumped up on the bed, nudging her snout against the notch of Cadenza’s jaw and whining deep in her throat. She sounded as worried as a wolf could sound and Cadenza felt her own nerves jump in response. Muriel tossed and turned in his corner, muttering under his breath. Cadenza couldn’t understand a lick of what he was saying, but one thing was clear: he was in some sort of distress. She climbed out of bed carefully, taking a moment to crack her neck and her knuckles before quietly padding over to Muriel.

“Wake up.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. “Everything is okay, you just need to wake up.”

Muriel sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with fear. He looked about wildly in the dark. “Cadenza?” Sweat beaded his brow and his hands were shaking. He wasn’t just frightened, he was _terrified._

“Are you all right?” Cadenza asked, perhaps foolishly.

“What are you doing?” Muriel recoiled from Cadenza and her touch, shrinking into himself. He curled his hands into trembling fists. “I could have hurt you.”

“You could have, sure, but you _didn’t._ ” Despite the reassurance, Muriel was still glancing around the room like he wanted to run. Cadenza reached out to smooth her fingers down the side of his neck, feeling his racing pulse beneath her fingertips. “Whatever you were dreaming about seemed pretty serious... did you want to talk about it?”

Muriel snorted and shook his head. “It’s pathetic. And no one actually likes hearing about other peoples’ dreams.” He turned his head to the side, looking away from Cadenza, and closed his eyes. “You should go back to bed. Save your breath.”

Cadenza sighed softly and slid her hands into Muriel’s dark hair. “The only way that I’m going back to bed is if you come with me.”

“You need sleep.”

“So do you.” Cadenza wrapped her arms around Muriel and hauled him to his feet with a low groan. “You deserve to feel safe.”

They collapsed into the bed together, their legs tangling together and their foreheads bumping as they tried to wrap the blankets around their sleep addled forms. “You said that you’d make a wall of pillows if we shared,” Muriel slurred.

“Forget what I said earlier,” Cadenza chided. “Close your eyes and rest.”

With Cadenza’s arms wrapped loosely around him and her face pressed into the side of his neck, Muriel finally lapsed into silence. He practically melted against the raven-haired magician, exhaling softly as he did. After a few moments, she felt something soft pressing against her back. _Inanna._ The wolf made a soft sound, her tail thumping lightly against the mattress as she licked the back of Cadenza’s arm. Muriel’s solid warmth on one side and Inanna’s on the other served to slowly lull her to sleep. The last thing that she heard before the world faded away once more was Muriel’s voice: low and deep in her ear.

“ _Thank you._ ”


	12. Ragged Wood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunting party finally reaches Tarske Forest, but Muriel is suspicious of the peace that greets them.

The sun had already risen by the time Cadenza and Muriel leave the inn, feeling mostly refreshed but also somewhat timid considering the fact that they had awoken to find themselves tangled around each other. Fortunately, they were both staunchly determined to ignore how they had fallen asleep the night before—nothing in the world could possibly serve to motivate them to address how much comfort they had found in each other’s proximity. Still, Muriel’s cheeks flushed whenever he caught Cadenza’s gaze and the latter hoped that Morga, who was waiting for them by the stables, wouldn’t pick up on the change in their dynamic.

“I’ve tracked Montag to the edge of Tarske Forest,” the huntress announced, seemingly intent on getting right down to business much to Cadenza and Muriel’s relief for once.

At the mention of the ancient forest, both magicians looked to the dense sea of green on the horizon, nestled between snow-capped mountains. Even from a distance, Tarske Forest was quite the sight to behold. Asra had mentioned it to Cadenza a few times, but only ever in passing. All she knew was that it had stood untouched for thousands of years and that its ground was supposedly steeped in magic so old that it no longer had a name. She also knew that no one in the surrounding area dared to enter it. Thanks to Lucio, however, it seemed that they had no other choice but to ignore the advice of the locals and forge past the edge of the forest.

“Tarske has powerful magic,” Morga continued. “If we use it properly, we’ll gain the upper hand. We will split up once inside, and we will find my son before he has a chance to escape.”

“What happens if we find him?” Cadenza asked, her heart hammering in her chest. She had a feeling that she would not like the answer.

Morga turned her silvery gaze on Cadenza, eyes narrowing. “You mean _when_ we find him. Failure is not an option.”

“When we find him,” Muriel said, “he won’t go with us quietly.”

“Then you stop him.”

Muriel’s eyebrows drew together and the corners of his mouth twitched. “Stop him?”

“By any means necessary.” Morga’s tone was cold, unforgiving, and the set of her jaw betrayed intense determination.

It took Cadenza a moment, but she eventually managed to piece together the deeper meaning of Morga’s words. Her eyes widened. “You want us to kill your son?”

“It’s not about what _I_ want anymore.” Morga exhaled softly and she turned away so that she, too, faced Tarske Forest. “I wanted a lot of things for Montag, but he burned those bridges a long time ago. I have made peace with the past and I will do what needs to be done.”

Having said her piece, Morga started toward the forest; leaving no space for Cadenza or Muriel to reply. For a few moments, they merely stared after her, dumbfounded by definitiveness of her answer. The two magicians once again exchanged glances, their dark eyebrows drawn together in a mix of concern and uncertainty. They held each other’s gazes, gold-flecks sparking and moss-green swirling, their hearts slamming against their ribs. Eventually, they broke free from their trance, blinking and shaking their heads. They climbed into their saddles without wasting another second, but before they took off in pursuit of Morga toward Tarske Forest, Muriel pulled up in front of Cadenza, blocking her path.

“Hey,” he said, his voice surprisingly steady considering how his hands trembled. “Stay close. Don’t get lost.” He looked toward the forest. “We don’t know what could be waiting for us out there.”

Cadenza fought the urge to roll her eyes. She appreciated the sentiment, but she was somewhat annoyed by the concern. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on running off on my own.”

“I’m not joking.” The corners of Muriel’s mouth turned down and his expression could only be described as grim. “You’re not in Vesuvia anymore.”

“I _know_ that.”

The two stared at each other, caught in a silent standoff. Muriel was the first to back down, shrugging his shoulders as he maneuvered his horse out of Cadenza’s way. “Let’s go,” he mumbled. “We’ll never hear the end of it from Morga if we fall too far behind.”

✧ ✧ ✧

Cadenza expected to feel a sense of foreboding when she entered the forest, much like she had when she had back in Vesuvia, but Tarske Forest was _different._ The trees seemed to welcome her and the other members of her party as they passed over the threshold: the leaves shivering almost as if in greeting. Moss-covered statues watched them as they walked down the path and while Cadenza might have normally been unsettled by the feeling that she was being watched, she was not this time around as comforting smiles were etched into the ancient stones. For the first time during her journey to the South, the raven-haired magician did not feel out of place in the slightest.

_Feels like home,_ Ribbit remarked, his eyes closing happily.

“Oh? And where is home, exactly?” Cadenza replied, quietly enough that neither Muriel nor Morga seemed to overhear her.

_You know that I can’t tell you that._ Ribbit blinked up at his magician, and she carefully lifted him out of her bag so that he could sit in front of her. He looked around, dark eyes gleaming. _The earth here is steeped in ancient magic that only exists in small pockets elsewhere. All I can say is that you’ve visited one of those pockets before... which is why this place feels familiar._

“Very helpful, _amico mio._ ”

“Does your familiar have anything interesting to share?” Morga asked, her sharp voice cutting through the peace of the forest.

“We were discussing how it feels as though Tarske Forest wants us here.”

“That’s a bad sign.”

Cadenza looked at Muriel, frowning. “How so?”

Instead of answering, however, Muriel just shook his head and kept his gaze fixed on the trail ahead of them. Consequently, the short conversation ended there and they carried on in silence, with only the sounds of horse hooves beating against the ground, birds chirping, and Inanna running through the undergrowth to keep them company. Eventually, the trail became too difficult to navigate on horseback and Cadenza and Muriel had to dismount. They ended up walking side by side, their horses trailing a little ways behind them. A charged silence stretched between them for over an hour before Cadenza determined that she could no longer bear it.

“Out with it: what’s bothering you?”

Muriel scoffed. “What makes you think that I’m bothered?”

“Come on, now.” Cadenza looked Muriel up and down. “There’s some body language that even _I_ can read with relative ease. So. What’s wrong? What can you sense that I cannot?”

“That’s the thing: nothing is wrong. This place... it’s too nice. Too calm.” Muriel scowled, ducking under a moss-covered branch. “If Lucio were here, the whole place should reek of darkness.”

“This forest was around before Lucio was born.” Cadenza reached out, wrapping her fingers loosely around Muriel’s wrist and stopping him before he could hurry ahead. “And it will be here long after he dies.”

“Will it? He could set fire to it today.”

“What you’re saying is theoretically possible, but that doesn’t mean that it’s inevitable. Please, Muriel.” Carefully, Cadenza took both of his hands in her own, her thumbs ghosting across his knuckles. “Take a moment. Close your eyes. Listen to the forest. Feel it.”

“This is pointless,” Muriel grumbled, but he _did_ close his eyes. “What am I supposed to be feeling?”

“Just take a moment to listen to your surroundings— _really_ listen. I promise that you’ll get something out of it other than a bit of silence on my end.”

Once Muriel’s features relaxed, Cadenza closed her eyes as well. The raven-haired magician relied on her hearing to a far greater degree than her other senses and was therefore more sensitive to subtle changes in her environment on that front, at least. Ever since she had entered Tarske Forest, her ears had been filled with a faint hum that she knew in her bones she had heard before this day. By keeping her breathing shallow and even, she was able to pick up on far more than the gentle humming that had been following her since her arrival.

Now that she had temporarily blocked herself off from her other senses, she could hear anything from droplets of dew splashing onto the green grass beneath their feet to a large animal stalking its prey through the underbrush. But her attention always returned to the humming and she eventually realized why she was so drawn to it: the sound that echoed in the air was that of ancient magic that had managed to spring free from the earth. It was electrifying and Cadenza’s fingers tingled as they plucked at the invisible threads of the hundreds of lifetimes that had passed through the very same spot where she now stood.

“Do you feel that?” Cadenza breathed, her eyes still shut because she did not want the moment to end.

“Yes.” Muriel opened his eyes and was immediately met with the sight of Cadenza’s flushed face, a soft smile tugging at her lips. He looked away quickly. “If Lucio is here, the magic drowns him out. Tarske is stronger than him.”

Cadenza blinked open her eyes and rubbed them. She was still smiling. “I don’t believe that Lucio could burn this forest down if he wanted to.”

“I suppose.” The corners of Muriel’s mouth curved upward briefly, but he quickly sobered his expression. “We know he’s in here somewhere, though. The magic of Tarske might be stronger than him, but _we_ should still keep our guards up.”

Despite his words of caution, Muriel seemed more comfortable than he did earlier which served to reassure Cadenza that she had managed to say and do the right things. She stood still for a few minutes longer, appreciating the feelings that that particular spot evoked in her before sighing softly and following her companion deeper into Tarske Forest. The raven-haired magician’s thoughts drifted as she walked, however, and she couldn’t help wondering whether Lucio would have had a more difficult time killing the Heart of the Forest if Vesuvia possessed even half the connection to magic that she felt in Tarske. She shook her head lightly. It was a pointless mental exercise: one that would only breed self-doubt.

While Muriel kept his eyes peeled for anything strange as they walked onward, Cadenza monitored their surroundings closely for any hint of noise that didn’t quite belong. So far, their combined state of alertness had only caused them to jump (and Cadenza to nearly cry out) when a rabbit unexpectedly sprinted across their path. After that, they gravitated closer to each other: their sides brushing every once in a while when the trail grew more narrow. Neither of them commented on the fleeting proximity, however. Perhaps because they were still reeling from the fact that they had woken up wrapped around each other that morning.

Inanna came bounding up to them after an undetermined amount of time, her tail wagging rapidly. She snorted at Muriel, whose eyebrows drew together. “She... wants to show us something.”

“Did she find Lucio?” Cadenza asked, already reaching into her bag to brush her fingers down Ribbit’s back for a magical boost.

All the while wagging her tail harder, Inanna barked once in answer and Muriel’s eyes widened. “No, she says she found some puppies.”

“Puppies?”

“Yes.” Inanna bit the edge of Muriel’s cloak, whining as she tried to tug him down a path that diverged from the main trail. “Whoa, we really don’t have time for this, Nana.”

The wolf whined and the sound tugged at Cadenza’s heartstrings. “We can spare a minute or two, Muriel.”

Muriel glanced between his familiar, Cadenza, and the trail. “... Fine,” he grumbled, his gaze downcast.

With a cheerful bark, Inanna took off and the two magicians followed after her; doing their best to avoid tripping over the overgrown roots and rocks that littered the trail. While Cadenza and Muriel stumbled occasionally, Inanna weaved between the trees effortlessly. It was obvious that she was in her element. She eventually came to a stop at the foot of an enormous tree and Cadenza couldn’t help staring at it open-mouthed. The trunk was wider than a house and it stretched much, much taller than all of the buildings in Centre City. But most eye-catching of all was the bunch of wiggling pups nestled in the roots of the tree.

Before Cadenza or Muriel could get too close to the pups, a grown wolf emerged from behind one of the roots of the tree and the former was struck by just how similar she looked to Inanna. They had the same golden eyes, the same dark pelt. If Cadenza hadn’t had the opportunity to get to know Muriel’s familiar better during their journey, she might not have been able to tell the two wolves apart. She watched, stone-still, as the wolves bounded toward each other, bumping their heads together and nuzzling their faces against one another.

“You’re family? What do you mean?” Muriel asked his familiar and she glanced back at him, barking lightly. His shoulders slumped slightly. “Oh. I didn’t know that you were captured in the South.”

Inanna let out a howl that seemed more accusatory than mournful.

“Of course I never asked, why would I?” Muriel coughed and looked away, avoiding Inanna’s long-suffering stare. He looked to Cadenza, deciding to explain for her sake. “These are, like, her cousins... I guess. An offshoot of her old pack.”

“That’s pretty incredible that they managed to find each other again.” Cadenza lowered herself into a squat, her skirt brushing against the ground, and she held out a hand toward the pup that had managed to clamber out of its den. “ _Ciao,_ ” she whispered. “ _Ma lo sai che sei carinissimo?_ ”

The pup let out a squeak and ducked under Cadenza’s outstretched hand, waddling over to Muriel instead. “Hey, there.” He crouched down, waggling his fingers gently in front of the pup’s face. “You’re pretty cute.”

“I think ‘pretty cute’ is an understatement.” Cadenza watched the pup as it let out a high-pitched squeak, tripping over its own paws in its hurry to get to Muriel. “I would go so far as saying that they’re on par with the cuteness of amphibians and reptiles.”

“Amphibians and reptiles...?” Muriel snorted and shook his head, lifting the pup carefully. “They’re pretty young and they move really awkwardly at this age.” He smiled softly at another stumbling pup. He seemed so happy. “I’ve always liked wolves.”

“Why is that?”

“They’re loyal. Honest.” Muriel scratched one of the pups behind the ears. “They don’t lie, or judge you. They’re just... wolves.”

“I feel similarly about frogs.” Cadenza smiled at Muriel, reaching out to wipe drool off his chin with a soft chuckle. “Animals in general are so often misunderstood, and people will use them or fundamentally misrepresent them to further their own causes. They deserve better than the fates that so many people condemn them to without a second thought.”

“Yeah. They really do.” A long silence stretched between the two magicians, punctuated only by the quiet _yips_ of the wolf pups. It was Muriel who eventually broke it, letting out a sigh before setting down the pup he had been cradling. “I suppose this wasn’t _such_ a waste of time.”

“Well, I’m happy that you enjoyed yourself.” Cadenza rose to her feet just a few seconds after Muriel, brushing dirt and moss off her skirt. “ _But,_ I do hope that we come across a colony of frogs at some point... that will show you that animals like me, too.”

Muriel laughed despite himself. “I’m prepared to be impressed.”

“As you should be, frogs and I share an understanding that not many people do. Isn’t that right, Ribbit?”

_Please, don’t bring me into this._

“What did he say?”

Cadenza snorted. “Nothing of interest.”

_How rude._

After casting one last look over her shoulder at the wolf pups and their mother, Cadenza started down the trail once more; jogging slightly in order to catch up to Muriel and Inanna. Soon enough, they were clambering over boulders jutting out of the ground that were larger than any that they had seen so far since they entered Tarske Forest. For several minutes, everything was fine. _Normal._ The changed happened suddenly and Cadenza felt as though she had just been somehow shoved through a stone wall. The raven-haired magician froze in place, her muscles seizing and her breath catching in her chest. She looked at Muriel, eyes wide with fear.

It was as though all of the love in the forest had left and Cadenza looked around, wild-eyed with her arms wrapped around her. The shadows seemed darker here, the air heavier. The hum that had been filling Cadenza’s ears since she set foot in Tarske Forest had gone quiet. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end. Inanna snarled, her ears pulled back and her teeth bared at nothing. She stood in front of Cadenza and Muriel, ready to attack. Wherever this miasma of hate was coming from... they all knew that only one thing could be in the middle of it.

_Lucio._

An unearthly sound cut through the air, something between a screech and a howl. Cadenza’s heart was racing now, her limbs twitching with energy that she was dying to release. Her mind was telling her to turn and run in the opposite direction, to call for Morga, to grab Muriel’s arm and try to put as much distance between them and the dark energy as they could. But her body was unresponsive to the messages that her mind was attempting to send to it. Before she was really able to process what she was doing, she was turning and running toward the noise... toward Lucio.

“Cadenza!” Muriel shouted after her, but she just kept going without even acknowledging the fact that he was calling her name. “ _Enza!_ ”


	13. Sleeping Giants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cadenza and Muriel attempt to stop Lucio from enacting the next step of his plan... Pontifex Vulgora intervenes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning(s): discussions of memory loss, blood, and violence.

Cadenza finally stumbled to a halt at the entrance of a cave that seemed to be leaking long shadows from its yawning mouth. Her legs were sore, her breathing laboured, and her skin was slick with sweat. She had run through the forest like a woman possessed, guided only by a feeling that made her heart clench in her chest with trepidation. The raven-haired magician hunched forward, pressing the heels of her hands into her thighs as she fought to catch her breath. Why had she run? Why had she not run _away_ from the dark, twisting energy? Her thoughts were only interrupted by a gently touch to her shoulder and she startled, nearly smacking Muriel.

“He’s in there?” he asked, eyes wide, and Cadenza could only nod in answer. His hand slipped from her shoulder, his fingers wrapping around her bicep and pulling her back as he stepped away from the mouth of the cave. “We should leave.”

“We can’t leave,” Cadenza panted, her hands curling into fists at her sides. “Morga... she said that if the opportunity to take Lucio down presented itself, we needed to leap at it.”

“What she very pointedly left out of her little lecture is that her son won’t hesitate to crush us under his heel if has the chance.” Muriel still hadn’t let go of Cadenza’s arm and there was a desperation in his eyes that told her that he wasn’t planning on doing so anytime soon. “You’ve lived a sheltered life, Enza. You will not come out of a fight with Lucio alive.”

“You think that I’m not aware of that risk?” Cadenza replied, her voice trembling. “I am acutely aware of the fact that I am mostly defenceless. _Mostly._ I still have my wits about me and I know how to use what I have to my advantage.”

“That’s not enough.”

Cadenza stared at Muriel for several beats, her chin quivering. Eventually she pried her arm away from him and took another step toward the cave. “I will not sit idly by and allow Lucio to waltz out of that cave without making an _attempt_ to stop him. You’re free to do as you wish, but I have made my choice and my mind will not be changed.”

“ _Gods,_ ” Muriel grumbled under his breath and ran a trembling hand through his hair. He straightened his back slowly, rolling his shoulders before taking a hesitant step forward as well. “I won’t let you go in there alone.”

“How very noble of you.”

“It’s not noble at all.” Muriel met Cadenza’s gaze, his eyes appearing a darker green than usual as he frowned. “I’m making sure that you don’t die.”

Cadenza looked away first, pressing her lips together. When she spoke, she did her best to keep her tone as even as possible. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Upon hearing the words of gratitude, Muriel made an uncomfortable noise at the back of his throat and scratched the back of his neck. For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to add something else only to end up shaking his head, seemingly dismissing the thought that had come to him. Fairly confident that the conversation had come to an end, Cadenza turned on her heel and entered the cave, one hand stretched in front of her and the other resting lightly on Ribbit’s back in order to draw upon the magic that he lent to her without question.

It got darker and darker the farther into the cave they walked, and Cadenza was eventually forced to summon a small, flickering orb of light—something that required her to expend a not insignificant amount of energy even with Ribbit’s help. She was still tired from her mad dash through Tarske Forest, too, and Cadenza seriously found herself questioning for the first time whether she was even close to being at her best. For a while, she and Muriel navigated the tunnels in complete silence, each of them turning their worries and concerns over in their heads until the latter broke it.

“I’m sorry for grabbing your arm.” He spoke quietly, so as to not attract unwanted attention, and if not for her impeccable hearing, Cadenza probably would not have heard him.

“It’s okay, you barely wrapped your fingers around me,” she answered in an equally quiet voice. “You didn’t hurt me at all, I was more annoyed with you than anything.”

“I could have hurt you.”

“But you didn’t.” There was a brief pause and Cadenza narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular. “I feel as though we’ve had this conversation before.”

Muriel sighed. “Still. I’m sorry.” He inhaled shakily. “In the moment... hearing you talk about leaping at opportunities and stopping Lucio for the greater good... I got nervous.” He glanced over at Cadenza, who was now looking at him quizzically. “Nervous that you would do something impulsive like run off into the cave before we had a chance to talk things through.”

Cadenza wrinkled her nose slightly. “That doesn’t sound like me.”

“Agree to disagree.”

The small orb of light that glowed in Cadenza’s palm flared, her irritation influencing the spell. “I don’t believe that we can ‘agree to disagree’ when it comes to my personality.”

“Look,” Muriel said in a cautious tone, “you know that we knew each other _before._ ”

“Yes. That is abundantly clear to me at this point.”

“We weren’t just acquaintances, I considered you, uh, a friend. I _know_ you. I know that when it comes to doing things for others or helping them, you don’t hesitate. You don’t pause to think about the repercussions or implications, you just _do._ ” Muriel looked pointedly away. “I’ve witnessed some these impulsive acts firsthand... because you did them for _me._ ”

“How am I supposed to know myself if no one tells me about the version of me that existed before when memories begin?” Cadenza snapped and she stopped walking to lean against stone, her temples throbbing. “If you have no intentions of telling me what it is that I did for you in the past, why bring it up? To torment me? To remind me of the fact that I don’t know myself as well as the other people in my life do?”

“That wasn’t my intention at all. I’m sorry.” Muriel paused as well, reaching out to brush his fingers down Cadenza’s arm. “Are you okay?”

Cadenza exhaled sharply and eventually nodded her head somewhat stiffly. “My head hurts a little bit, but I’ll be fine.” She stood up straight and fixed her gaze on the path ahead of them. “We need to keep moving.”

A heavy silence settled over the two magicians once more as they ventured deeper into the cave. Well, it was silent except for the occasional bloodcurdling scream that echoed off the stone and made Cadenza wish she could cover her ears. They were getting close... close to Lucio... close to the man that they were supposed to put a stop to for good. It was so dark that the light that Cadenza summoned barely managed to cut through it anymore. In a moment of impulsivity, Muriel reached for Cadenza’s hand; his heart rate spiking when he felt her cool palm against his own. Cadenza, in turn, surprised him by squeezing his hand tightly.

“Almost there...,” a familiar voice announced up ahead, prompting the magicians moving through the dark to exchange glances.

“ _Lucio,_ ” Cadenza mouthed and Muriel nodded.

“Hurry up!” another voice shouted. “I’m getting _bored._ ”

Cadenza parted her lips to ask Muriel whether he recognized the second voice only to press them together in order to subdue a yelp when the darkness suddenly gave way to light. They were noticed immediately, two sets of eyes landing on them and preventing them from retreating quietly into the darkness that stretched behind them. Then again, the thought of turning back did not even cross their minds—they were too preoccupied by the bizarre sight that lay ahead of them. A creature with curving onyx horns and blood-red eyes was hunched over what looked to be mummified remains that shone with magic, Pontifex Vulgora looking over them like a demented sitter.

“Well, well, well,” the creature said in a taunting tone of voice and it took Cadenza a moment to recognize it as Lucio. “Looks like you’re just in time for the party.” He grinned, showing off pointed teeth. “Vulgora, if you want your warrior’s heart... keep them off me.”

Vulgora hopped off the rock upon which they had been sitting, cracking their neck and swinging their arms once their feet hit the ground. It was their turn to flash Cadenza and Muriel a menacing grin. “This is going to be _fun!_ ”

There was no time to think, the Pontifex was already moving toward the pair of magicians, the wicked-looking claws of their gauntlet gleaming in the light. Cadenza had not been anticipating being thrust directly into a fight, she had been banking on being able to enact a sneakier strategy. She supposed that she had been impulsive and that this was her impulsivity coming to bite her rear. The raven-haired magician shook her head and cracked her knuckles before brushing her fingers down Ribbit’s back. The fingertips of her left hand tingled and she raised her hand just in time to discharge the burst of magic in Pontifex Vulgora’s direction.

Much to Cadenza’s dismay, the attack was blocked by an invisible barrier and Vulgora cackled madly. “Oh, that’s _cute!_ Little baby magician who needs help from her itty bitty familiar in order to fire off her little baby attacks. If you’re gonna come at me, do it with the intention to kill or _not at all!_ ”

The Pontifex slashed one of their gauntleted hands through the air and a shimmering blade of energy hurtled toward Cadenza, who found herself rooted to the spot with the sound of her own frantic heartbeat filling her ears. One moment, she was standing and staring down an attack that would undoubtedly slice her in half, and the next she was on the ground with Muriel’s arms wrapped tightly around her. The raven-haired magician cried out softly, her shoulder and hip smarting as she suffered the brunt of the impact with the stone floor. She couldn’t find it in her to truly acknowledge the pain, however, she was just amazed that she was alive.

“ _Hey,_ that’s _cheating!_ ” Vulgora screeched, their voice echoing off the walls of the cave.

Muriel ignored the Pontifex’s ranting and helped Cadenza to her feet, instead. There was a trickle of blood running down the side of his face and a fresh cut on his temple. “Are you all right?”

Before Cadenza could answer, Vulgora was shouting at them again. “Don’t ignore me, _lovebirds!_ ” They lurched forward, a grin splitting their face, and the magicians only just managed to dodge the sharp claws that came between them. “Ha! Not bad, not bad. Fast reflexes. But can you avoid _this?_ ”

They kicked the wall nearest to them and a fissure formed in the stone, spiderwebbing up to the ceiling. For a moment, nothing happened... and then, the whole cave started to rumble as rocks came crashing down. Cadenza barely reached Muriel and Inanna in time, this time drawing upon her own magical affinity in order to shield them. The shield that she summoned cracked, but it held true and did not splinter despite the sheer amount of rocks that were cascading down on them. It was fortunate that she had had the foresight to draw upon the life-force that hummed in Tarske Forest. She was not sure that her shield would have held if she had relied solely on herself.

When the dust finally cleared, Cadenza and Muriel were still standing. Unfortunately, Pontifex Vulgora was still standing as well. Rocks littered the floor of the cave for the exception of two perfectly circular areas—one around the magicians and one around the Pontifex. Lucio, however, did not escape the rockslide unscathed. He was still hunched over the mummified body, one of his hands was still buried in its chest, but the other was scrabbling across his back as he tried desperately to brush the debris off of himself. After tossing one last rock aside, he cast an accusatory look over his shoulder at the Pontifex.

“You want this job done? Quit trying to kill me, too!”

“Quit whining,” Vulgora snapped. “You’re _fine!_ ”

Muriel coughed and waved his hand through the air to clear away some of the residual dust. “Crap.” He frowned at the jagged rocks that separated him and Cadenza from the former Count. “How the hell are we going to reach him now?”

“What’s wrong? Afraid to skin your knees?” Vulgora wasn’t even trying to be subtle about the fact that they were taunting the magicians. “ _Come at me!_ ”

Cadenza gritted her teeth and curled her left hand into a fist. She stared at Pontifex Vulgora, her dark eyebrows drawn together and gold-flecked eyes sparking with determination. She might not have been a fighter, but she refused to back down. She stroked her fingers down Ribbit’s back, her fingertips tingling as he lent her his magic. Electricity crackled across her knuckles, electric blue in the dim light. A high-pitched whine filled the air and Cadenza drew her fist back, ready to attack, only to hesitate when Muriel touched her shoulder.

“Stop,” he said, his voice soft but full of dejection. “We’ve lost.”

“No, not yet,” Cadenza hissed, shrugging of Muriel’s hand. “We-”

A flash of light interrupted the raven-haired magician before she could finish her thought and she watched in horror as the mummified body in Lucio’s arms jerked forward, letting out a rattling breath. Cadenza’s eyes widened, and she took a step back; bumping into Muriel’s chest. The ancient magic in the body had to have been activated again, like a defence mechanism, and it clawed at Lucio’s fur, thrashing. Lucio, however, seemed entirely unperturbed. Grinning all the while, he twisted his hand inside of its chest and pulled a glowing heart out with a sickening squelch. He glanced at it for a few seconds before tossing it almost carelessly to Pontifex Vulgora.

“ _Yes!_ ” Vulgora cheered, lifting the heart in the air and looking it over appraisingly. “About damn time, Lucio.”

“So, it’s settled?”

“It’s settled.”

Lucio shuddered, red energy dancing across his body. He looked over at Cadenza and Muriel. “It was actually kind of funny, trying to watch the two of you fight.”

Cadenza was trembling, but not with fear. When she spoke, her voice trembled with anger. “Whatever it is that you’re planning... you won’t get away with it.”

“Hmph,” Lucio scoffed, looking at her with contempt. “I’ll see you next time, Caddy.” And with that, before _anyone_ had the chance to move, he disappeared into the shadows of the cave: long gone.

“Now that _that’s_ out of the way... where were we?”

Pontifex Vulgora approached the magicians with a sure step and a menacing look in their eyes, cracking the knuckles of their gauntleted hand. Malice emanated from them and it was abundantly clear that their goal had shifted from playing keep away for Lucio’s sake to killing their opponents. Cadenza’s feet moved before she could even really think and she placed herself in the line of fire—directly between Muriel and the Pontifex—without so much as a second of hesitation. The shield that she summoned flared white in the semi-darkness and a crack appeared in it the moment the first blow glanced off of it. Cadenza groaned, audibly, and the soles of her boots scraped across the ground.

“I can do this all day!” Vulgora shouted, bouncing ever so slightly in place as if to prove the veracity of their words. Before they could unleash another attack, however, a spear came flying out of nowhere and buried itself in their chest. They stumbled backward, letting out a grunt. “What the...?”

“I leave you alone for five minutes and you nearly get yourselves killed.” Standing at the mouth of a nearby tunnel was none other than Morga. She glanced at Cadenza and her flickering shield, quirking an eyebrow. “Next time, don’t defend: attack.”

Vulgora cackled, pulling the spear out of their chest and dropping it on the ground with a clatter. There was no blood where the weapon crumpled their armour. Instead, a single, red beetle scuttled out of the hole. “You.... Oh, I’ve heard about _you!_ ”

“Enough prattle.” Morga reached out and the spear vibrated on the ground before shooting back to her hand. “ _You’re_ going to fight _me_ now.”

With Cadenza and Muriel looking on in horror, Vulgora reared back their gauntleted arm, which was crawling with globules of concentrated power that looked like swarming red beetles. “Bring. It. _On!_ ”


	14. The Mortal Boy King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cadenza and Muriel receive a wake-up call from Morga after their most recent encounter with Lucio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning(s): blood, discussions of violence and memory loss.

Morga loomed over Vulgora,—who had just landed on the ground with a heavy thud and spat out a tooth at the former’s feet—the end of her spear pressing against their throat. “Tell me what he’s planning.”

Vulgora laughed and shook their head from side to side, causing the tip of the spear to cut into their skin and draw blood. “You’ll have to _torture_ it out of me.”

“Torture?” Morga tightened her grip on her spear, her knuckles turning white. “That can be arranged.”

“No!” Muriel lurched to his feet before Morga could make good on her promise. “You’d just be doing what _he_ wanted.”

Muriel didn’t need to name names for Morga to know exactly who he was talking about. Still, she didn’t budge and her expression didn’t shift for so much as a second. “A kind heart will get you killed, boy.” She jabbed her spear up under Vulgora’s chin. “Where did my son go? What deal did he make with you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I _would_ like to know.”

A grin spread across Vulgora’s lips. “Sorry, but it looks like our time is up.” They lifted one of their gauntlets up and waggled their fingers in a manner that could only be interpreted as taunting. “Watch your back, Eirsdottir. Next time, I’ll stab you in it.”

Before anyone could react, Pontifex Vulgora’s body dissolved into a pile of beetles. Cadenza, Muriel, and Morga could only watch as the red swarm lifted into the air; filling the cave with the sound of hundreds upon hundreds of beating wings and chitinous bodies bumping into each other. The swarm of beetles quickly disappeared down a nearby tunnel, although not without the many mouths worked together to let out one final cackle. As soon as the Pontifex was gone, Morga let out a guttural noise and slammed her spear into the ground where they had lain mere moments ago. She turned on the pair of magicians with disgust marking her features.

“That creature nearly defeated you? _Pathetic,_ ” she snapped. “All of this potential... and you have wasted it.” Her silvery gaze flitted to Muriel. “ _You._ I heard tales of your ferocity. For a man who stole my peoples’ name, I expected better.”

Muriel squared his shoulders and judging by the way his fists trembled at his sides, it was clear that Morga had struck a nerve. “Let me make one thing clear: I never stole your peoples’ name, it was forced onto me against my will.”

Morga let out a deep sigh and rubbed her temples. She did not acknowledge the clarification offered to her by Muriel, but she did look at him appraisingly; eventually turning her gaze on Cadenza as well, nodding to herself. “Come with me, we have much to go over.” The corners of her mouth turned down. “Namely, how to avoid such a colossal failure from happening all over again.”

With that, the huntress stalked out of the cave, leaving the two magicians alone. Instead of following after her, though, Cadenza turned her attention to her companion. Muriel’s face smeared with dirt and covered in a fine layer of dust, but what really drew her eye was the fresh wound at his temple that was still oozing blood. Lines of red cut through the dust and dirt coating the side of his face, and Cadenza found herself reaching out to brush her fingertips around the wound before she could really process what she was doing. Muriel winced slightly, pulling away from her touch.

“Sorry.” Cadenza lowered her hand immediately and took a step back. “Are you all right?”

“Physically, I’m fine. The cut just stings a little bit and I wasn’t expecting you to touch it.” Muriel brushed his fingers across his wound as if to demonstrate that it really wasn’t that serious. “Emotionally and mentally... well, we lost just now.”

“I know.”

Muriel frowned. “What? No optimistic reply, no reminder that everything will turn out all right because we’re on the side of ‘good’?”

Cadenza shook her head and shrugged. “We had our rears handed to us today. My sincerest apologies if I’m not quite feeling up to the task of dishing out platitudes.” Her tone was bitter and she knew that she should feel badly for speaking unkindly to Muriel, but she was frankly much too tired for this discussion. “We ought to follow Morga before she decides that we deserve an additional earful for taking too long.”

“Right.” Muriel pressed his lips together and lowered his head. “Let’s go, then. I’ll be right behind you.”

Ribbit gazed up at his magician with what could only be described as disappointment in his round, dark eyes. _Very smooth, Cadenza. Snapping at a friend who has just gone through the same awful thing as you._

“ _Zitto,_ ” Cadenza hissed at her familiar through her teeth as she set off down the tunnel that would lead her to the mouth of the cave. “Why don’t you get some rest?”

_And keep off your case? Never._

“This is going to be a long walk.”

_It’s what you deserve._

✧ ✧ ✧

Shortly after emerging from the cave, Cadenza and Muriel learned that their horses had fled. At least, that was the assumption that they made considering that they were nowhere to be found. Consequently, the two magicians were forced to follow Morga on foot—something which displeased her and caused her patience to wear even more thin as she was forced to slow her pace so that her travelling companions would not lose sight of her in the dense greenery of Tarske Forest. By the time they reached the small camp that she had set up earlier in the day, night had fallen and the glow of dancing fireflies was one of their main sources of light in the clearing.

“Are you two listening?” Morga asked, jabbing her spear into the dirt before setting her hands on her hips. She didn’t wait for an answer. “I am going to teach you how to fight. Properly.”

“What?” Muriel took a few steps back, bumping into the trunk of a tree. He shook his head wildly. “We _lost,_ and not even to Lucio. We don’t stand a chance against him or anyone else who’s taken up with him.”

Morga snorted and approached Muriel, anger in her eyes. “So, what, you’ll lay down and die? You’ll run away? Will you abandon Cadenza to save your own skin? How far will you go?”

“Excuse me, don’t bring me into this.”

Upon hearing Cadenza speak, Morga turned her ire on her. “I could ask you all of the same things that I just asked Muriel.” She exhaled sharply, working her jaw. “Let me put this in a way that you two will understand: if you don’t fight, you will die. I won’t lash you to a spear, but I won’t hold your hand, either. If you don’t have the heart for this, better you run now and stop wasting my time.”

Unsure of how to react to Morga’s brutally honest words, Cadenza glanced in Muriel’s direction in an attempt to gauge how he was feeling. His back was still pressed against the trunk of a tree, but his earlier slouch was gone and he now he stood at his full height with his shoulders drawn back as well. Cadenza, however, could not determine whether the rigidity of his posture was due to terror or determination. His expression was for the most part indecipherable, his lips pressed together in a tense line that gave away nothing. It was his eyes that ultimately betrayed him and Cadenza finally glimpsed a part of the war that was raging in his mind.

“If I didn’t think that you could stand up to my son, I would have left you both behind days ago,” Morga said in a much gentler tone than was typical of her. “All I need is an indication that you have some fight in you.”

“I thought I was ready,” Cadenza murmured. “But I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Why? Are you afraid to fight or is it that you don’t think you’re capable enough to come out of a fight victorious?”

“Right now I’m leaning more toward the latter.” It was too much, too soon, and Cadenza felt like tearing her hair out. “I was hired to find someone, not to....” She swallowed hard, cutting herself off. “I don’t think that I’m well-suited to what it is that you and everyone else currently expects of me.”

“Cadenza, I’m going to say this because you strike me as the sort who appreciates directness: you need to adjust your own expectations for yourself in order to match what the current situation that you find yourself in is demanding of you.”

“I’m not going to run—it’s not in my nature to do so,” the raven-haired magician whispered. “I will not allow Lucio to win.”

“He’s already won,” Muriel snapped, breaking his silence. “He’ll only keep winning from here on out.” His cheeks flushed with shame and he looked away from Cadenza. “And then... he’ll make me hurt you.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

But Muriel didn’t answer, he just kept his gaze fixed on a distant point, his lips trembling from all the words left unsaid.

“That my son should be such a monster to you...,” Morga murmured, shaking her head. “Trust me, he is not as capable as he tries to make himself out to be.”

“I don’t think that you get to decide what he is and isn’t capable of given that you haven’t dealt with him since he came of age,” Muriel fired back, his fists clenched and trembling at his sides.

“Perhaps you’re right, but I believe in you more than I believe in him.” Morga inclined her head toward Cadenza. “If you’re ready to learn how to fight, I need to know which of your eyes is dominant and I also need to measure your arms.”

Muriel looked at Cadenza meaningfully for a few beats only to turn away when she walked up to Morga. “I’m ready, but... why those two things specifically?”

Morga looked the raven-haired magician up and down appraisingly. “I’ve given some thought to your strengths and weaknesses, and I came to the conclusion that you would be well-suited to archery. Physically, you’re not very strong and you probably would not fare well in close combat. A bow allows you to attack from a distance and I believe that your precision would lend itself well to aiming arrows. Is any of this resonating with you so far?”

Cadenza’s eyes widened slightly and she nodded emphatically. “Yes, I think your assessment of me is quite accurate.”

“Very well, then. Let’s get started.” Morga clapped her hands together and Cadenza startled slightly. “To determine which of your eyes is dominant, extend your arms and make a triangle in front of you. Then, very slowly, bring the triangle closer to your face and consequently whichever eye is looking through it.”

“Okay.” Cadenza did as she was told and eventually stopped moving her hands when the backs of them were almost pressed against her left eyebrow and the bridge of her nose. “Does this mean that my left eye is dominant?”

“Yes. Quick study.” A smile tugged at Morga’s lips and she picked up a long straight stick from a pile of kindling. “I’m going to place this against the hollow of your throat and I want you to reach out without overextending. Your palms should be together and your fingertips should be straight.”

“What is this measurement intended for?”

At first, Morga didn’t answer as she was much too focused on the task at hand. It was only after she had carefully carved a mark on the branch approximately one inch beyond where Cadenza’s fingertips ended that she finally did: “Your arrows.” She tucked the stick into one of her boots and then reached for her spear. “The time has long since passed for me to hunt dinner.” She paused at the edge of the clearing, looking directly at Muriel. “Have your answer ready for me by the time I return.”

The dark seemed to swallow Morga the moment she stepped out of the clearing, and Cadenza and Muriel were left staring at the spot where she had been standing mere seconds ago. Cadenza was the first to break out of her trance, shaking her head slightly as she took a step back from the darkness in front of her that stretched as far as her eyes could see. Exhaustion weighed on her limbs and it was in that moment that she paused to fully reflect upon the frightening and confusing day that she had lived through. But while her fear was temporarily assuaged, she still had questions to which she craved answers.

The raven-haired magician glanced over her shoulder at Muriel, who had slid down the trunk of the tree to sit in the grass and who was staring at his hands as though he either couldn’t believe that they were his or what they had done. Generally speaking, he had the look of a man who was deep in thought. Cadenza approached Muriel slowly, searching his expression for any indication that he wished for her to leave him alone. When he didn’t react, her step grew more certain and she eventually found herself standing alongside him; gathering her skirt in her hands before settling down in the grass next to him.

“What did you mean when you said that Lucio would make you hurt me?”

Once again, Muriel’s cheeks flushed with shame and he winced, avoiding Cadenza’s gold-flecked gaze. “You’ll leave if you know.”

“Considering the sheer number of times that you’ve asked me to leave at this point, I thought that that was your goal.”

“I don’t... actually want you to leave.”

“Oh.” Heat crept into Cadenza’s cheeks at the revelation and she cleared her throat. “Well, you should know by now that I have no intentions to do so.” She placed a hand on Muriel’s forearm, tracing her fingertips along an old scar. “Talk to me: what are you worried about?”

Muriel buried his face in his hands, his entire body shuddering. When he finally spoke, it was barely above a mumble. “The Coliseum in the middle of Vesuvia... I used to fight there.” He inhaled shakily. “In Lucio’s name.”

Cadenza bit the inside of her cheek, tasting blood. She had heard stories of the Coliseum, the fights to the death on the sands fuelled by the cheers of the crowd. It was no wonder that Muriel had such difficulty speaking about it.

“I was his executioner for about ten years,” Muriel continued, his face still hidden from view. “Whoever entered the arena with me didn’t leave. They called me the Scourge of the South.”

All of the air in Cadenza’s lungs left her in a single breath. “How did you end up in that situation?”

“I thought that I didn’t have a choice—Lucio said that he would hurt Asra if I didn’t work for him.” Muriel finally lifted his head to meet Cadenza’s gaze. His expression was anguished, his eyes watery with unshed tears. “I hurt everyone else in order to keep Asra safe.”

“You were placed in such a difficult position... asked to weigh such difficult choices against each other on your own.” Cadenza reached for Muriel’s hands, smoothing her fingertips across the ridges of his palms. “You might not be able to change the past, but it doesn’t have to continue defining you in the present and it doesn’t have to dictate your future.”

Muriel pulled his hands away from Cadenza and tucked them into his cloak. “That’s easy for you to say considering that you don’t remember your past.” Although his words were harsh, there was no venom in his tone and the raven-haired magician took no offence.

“For all I know, I might have done terrible things in my past that I cannot remember. But I see no point in sitting around and wondering about the hurt that I might have caused because the only thing I have control over is who I am and how I behave in the present.” Cadenza moved to sit directly across from Muriel, rising onto her knees and leaning in so that her face was only a few inches away from his own. “So, I suppose my question for you is: what do you want to happen _now?_ ”

Muriel closed his eyes, a single tear sliding down his cheek. He was silent for a long moment, eventually sighing softly. “I’ve never really thought about that.”

“Well, consider this is your opportunity to reflect upon what you want.”

“Does what I want really matter? Lucio will just make me do all that shit all over again. He’ll make me hurt Asra. He’ll make me hurt _you._ ”

“Your fears... you don’t have to wrestle with them alone anymore. These things that you’re worried about happening... we won’t let him get away with any of it.” Cadenza cupped Muriel’s face in her hands, looking deeply into his moss-green eyes. “ _I promise._ ”

“You’re right, we won’t.” Muriel nodded slowly and leaned his forehead against Cadenza’s. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Cadenza wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, clinging to him as if for dear life as tears inexplicably pricked her eyes. “No need to thank me. You have had my back, too. Consider us even.”


End file.
